


Altered History: The Runaway Bride

by TKelParis



Series: Altered History [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-10-17 04:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10586445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TKelParis/pseuds/TKelParis
Summary: Donna Noble's wedding day wasn't what she expected. Disappearing, kidnapped by robots (twice!), being attacked, and learning she had a worthless fiancée. But the most unsettling part is her savior: an alien ponce who makes all Human men look bad. Even when he is acting like the Spaceman that he is.





	1. Chapter One: Mutual Shocks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cassikat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassikat/gifts).



**Disclaimer** : Not mine. I'm taking the Whoniverse and meddling drastically with it.

 **Special Author's Note** : This opening is listed a little different. A special dedication will be at the end of the chapters. Why? I'm trying to surprise at least some of you. If I say right here what brought about this story, I think it'll spoil it. Suffice to say... be prepared for a ride.

 **Dedication** : Two this time. One is cassikat, who I owe more of The Noble Girl to. So sorry, my friend. I hope this compensates a bit. I know I owe you for birthday and Christmas. And also to hezikiah, whose birthday prodded me to rush to get the first chapter ready and posted. And yes, I owe you a prompt. Muse stalled on it, hard. And a huge thanks to tardis_mole for awesome beta work.

 

**Altered History: The Runaway Bride**

 

**Started February 25, 2017**

**Story Unfinished as of start of posting on LiveJournal**

**Finished March 17, 2017**

 

**Chapter One: Mutual Shocks**

 

When her married friends talked about the nerves they felt on their respective wedding days, Donna Noble never imagined feeling like hers would carry her away. Not when she imagined her own. And she certainly didn't consider it possible when her arm was firmly linked with her dad's. It sounded like sentimental rubbish.

 

Until she realized that something was doing just that: making her light and feeling weird. Only then did her vision become clouded with golden glow. Naturally she screamed until she couldn't.

 

She blinked as soon as she could see again. But she was not in the church anymore. The shock rendered her silent as she took in her surroundings.

 

The room was more of a Victorian or Edwardian Gothic tone, but with weird round things on the walls. The columns looked strange and were hard to see in detail. The lighting kept things dark, with a soft glow here and there. There was light coming from behind her, and a weird mechanical sound filled the air. And it was more than a bit chilly, even considering she was sleeveless.

 

But she could breathe. Where was she?!

 

“What is this, Old Girl?”

 

She whipped to face the voice she heard. It was a man's voice, and he was puzzled. He sounded like he might be from Sussex, but his clothes were not quite anything she'd seen normal people wear. A black leather jacket, or what looked like one, covered his torso. His jeans looked fairly light from her angle, and he seemed to be wearing brown shoes. His back was to her so she couldn't see his face, but it looked like he had short dark hair. Although not so close-cut that you thought of a skinhead.

 

He leaned over a screen, completely engrossed in reading. “Something's been deposited into the Control Room about four metres from where I'm standing.”

 

“What?!” Donna blurted, a bit squeaky.

 

“Two arms, two legs, a heat signature, heartbeat, and a nitrogen-oxygen breather,” he continued, his head bowed down over over the controls near the screen. Like he didn't hear her or was aware of her existence. Despite what he was saying. His hands were working over controls that looked like the remnants of a scrap yard, and some were possibly held down by duck tape if her eyes weren't deceiving her. And she did not trust what they were telling her.

 

“Who are you?!” Donna demanded.

 

“But there's no rift like the last time an intruder was forced on me,” he carried on as if she hadn't spoken. “They wouldn't have changed their methods. Not when they worked so well before at breaking through a TARDIS' defences.”

 

“What the hell is this place?!” she shouted.

 

He finally looked up and turned around, stepping into better light. It confirmed her impressions of his outfit, and also showed a hint of a white shirt under the buttoned jacket that looked on the slightly bluish side closer up.

 

Although that hardly mattered. What did was that at last she had a proper look at his face.

 

His hair was dark – either dark brown or black – and while short some of the strands acted a bit wavy or curly. Impossible to tell the difference at that length. A bit of stubble dusted his jaw and upper lip, and slight lines on his face went from his nose at an angle just above his lip. It combined to make him seem somewhat older than her, although how much was debatable. At least ten years, but no more than twenty if he was aging well. Again, the lighting made it hard to tell. His light eyes bored right into hers. Under other circumstances she would have evaluated his looks as rather handsome, but she was too hyped on fear to notice.

 

But it was obvious that he was not smiling. “Who are you, and why have my people decided to foist another Human on me?”

 

“What are you on about?! If you think I chose to be here – wherever here is – then you can sling your flaming hook!”

 

His eyes widened a touch, although he stayed exactly where he was. “Well, you're full of fire, aren't you?”

 

“Where am I? I demand you tell me, right now, where am I.”

 

His face looked pinched, but he kept his voice in a calm range. “I'm the Doctor, and this is my home. You are intruding on my home, so I think I have more of a right to ask questions.”

 

“And where is this place? It isn't a Mill Wall place, is it?! Not even Nerys would send me there, even if this is about her finally getting me back by having someone kidnap me.”

 

His mouth opened more than once while she talked, but he held back until she paused in her fuming. “I've never had anything to do with that team, or any team that tends to inspire hooligan behaviour, and I certainly don't know anyone called Nerys. And I'm not in the business of kidnapping anyone. Ad although you didn't ask, my home is called the TARDIS.”

 

“The what?”

 

“TARDIS,” he stressed, tense and stern.

 

“The what?!”

 

“It's called a TARDIS, and I don't appreciate her being insulted.”

 

“That's not even a proper word! You're just saying things!”

 

He declined to answer that. “Now where did you come from? And what are you doing dressed like that?”

 

Donna growled, “I'm going ten-pin bowling. What do you think, dumbo?!”

 

“Dumbo?!” he blurted, offended.

 

“I was halfway down the aisle!” she pressed on, ignoring his reaction and even stepping a bit closer in an attempt to make him back off. “I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then – I don't know – you drugged me or something!”

 

“I don't even know who you are,” he insisted, snapping as his temper frayed. He stayed put, not willing to give any ground to her. “If I were the type to do that, wouldn't I make sure to pick someone I knew about?”

 

She ignored him. “We're having the police on you. Me and my husband – when he is my husband – we're going to sue the living backside off you!”

 

He burst into laughter, like the concept was ludicrous. “That would be a first. I'd like to see you try and find me on any lists.”

 

She was within inches of stepping up to slap him, but then Donna spotted the doors and instead raced toward them.

 

“Wait, wait, wait! Stop!” he shouted, rushing towards her in a frantic effort to stop her.

 

But Donna opened the doors too soon.

 

Fortunately for her, the sight stopped her cold. There was no path outside. No sun. No buildings. All that was in front of her was a black sky filled with stars. And they weren't twinkling.

 

He stopped abruptly next to her and sighed. “That's why I tried to stop you. You're in space. My home is a spaceship. We're not anywhere near your home, so I hope you can appreciate why I'm confused that you're here.”

 

Donna barely heard him. “How are we breathing?”

 

“The TARDIS is protecting us. It's part of her systems, keeping the atmosphere stable for anyone inside.”

 

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she looked at him for answers. “Who are you?”

 

“I told you, I'm the Doctor.”

 

“Doctor of what? You must have a name.”

 

He smiled a little. She had managed a slight variation on the usual question people asked him about his title. “I just call myself the Doctor. My true name is my own business. Now will you finally tell me who _you_ are?”

 

She was quiet, thinking before silently conceding that he had a point. “Donna.”

 

“Donna who?”

 

She frowned a little. “Donna Noble. If you expect to learn my middle name, you're not going to. Not without better answers.”

 

He groaned. “Are you related to a Lucie Miller of Blackpool?”

 

She blinked, like he said some non-sequitur. “Never heard of her. And the last time I checked, I have no family there. No friends, either.”

 

“Weird. Or maybe it's something about suddenly appearing inside here that makes Humans testy.”

 

“Well, what do you expect? This isn't natural.”

 

He leaned against the doorway, not quite folding his arms as he kept his eyes on her. “Well, that's in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? For whatever species you are. I've seen a variety of reactions to the Old Girl over my long life.”

 

She blinked. “Wait... You're not saying you're an alien, are you?”

 

“What kind of alien do you mean? If you mean merely not from England, which judging by your accent you're from, then that's a little bit of an understatement.”

 

Donna's mouth dropped. She prided herself on seeing when someone was trying to pull her leg, and this man did not come across as speaking bullocks. At least at the moment. He looked too serious for it.

 

The Doctor took a deep breath, as though she were trying his patience. “So... Donna Noble, who won't admit to her middle name, what are you doing here?”

 

She frowned tightly, not inclined to give a straight answer given how out of her depth she felt. “It's freezing with these doors open,” she instead said.

 

He exhaled loudly and closed the doors firmly. “Fine, fine, fine. I don't know why anyone would show that much skin when you're supposed to be committing yourself to one person,” he muttered as he passed her back to the Controls.

 

She saw red as she marched to get his attention again. “Oi! Don't you go knocking on my choice! I knew this was the dress for me when I went to Chez Alison!”

 

The Doctor turned to face her, but he had his own focus. “You didn't meet anyone who demanded you enter some witness protection scheme, did you?”

 

“No! I just saw this golden glow around me, and it hurt. The next thing I knew I was here.”

 

He frowned. “But it's impossible for a Human to lock itself onto the TARDIS without outside help. Maybe...” He thrust his hand into his pocket and drew out a strange object that looked to Donna like a wand with a little round item on top in a different color.

 

“What the hell is that?!” she said, recoiling.

“A medical probe.” He pressed a button on it and ran it over and around Donna's head as he spoke aloud. “I can't find a subatomic connection or anything genetic that could account for appearing like you did. What could be pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell? I'd surely detect if something was macro mining your DNA-”

 

Her hand launched before she even realized it, although she had no regrets. He was making her stomach churn and her heart area clench uncomfortably.

 

He let out an incoherent squawk as he recovered his balance and turned huge eyes on her. “What?! I was looking for answers! I didn't deserve that!”

 

“Get me to the church!” Donna shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

He al-but growled as he shoved the probe back into his pocket. “Okay, okay, okay! I'll take you home. I hope there's nothing that's going to stop me like with Lucie. A shield around your time is the last thing I need to deal with. What's the year and location?”

 

“You what?! It's Christmas Eve, 2006!”

 

He winced as he manned the Controls. “I hope that barrier isn't still there. Would be just my luck. The location, Donna?”

 

“Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Sol System!” she snapped. “Need it to be any more specific?!”

 

“Not given your attitude,” he muttered. “You pop into my home, in a compete mystery manner, and you act like I've done you wrong? I'll be happy to drop you there and leave! Time to go home to Chiswick, Donna Noble!”

 

He pulled the lever hard, and ignored Donna's squawked response to the bumpy ride. She grabbed a railing, and decided to be quiet. After all, you did not distract the driver. Even if you don't trust him.

 

/=/=/=/=/

 

 **Special Dedication and Rest of the Author's Note** : In a sense, this is ultimately dedicated to a charming and talented man known as Paul McGann. I saw him for the third con this February at Gallifrey One. I went despite recently being sick (that's what you have to do with work when your job doesn't have sick days, and I made sure my doctor didn't think I needed special precautions because I would have had to stay home in that case – something that would've devastated me), and felt a huge emotional boost merely from being there. And of course, any chance to see him is worth a lot. Put simply, he makes any con worth going to. (Read what you will into that.)

 

And with having seen him, I came home and listened to every last copy of an Eighth Doctor Adventure from Big Finish that I owned and hadn't listened to yet. I'm hungry for more, and had already gained at least two plot bunnies from talking with PM. But this one? Huge, and came to me randomly afterward.

 

So if you haven't figured it out yet, it's not Nine who Donna's met. It's Eight. And he thinks the Time Lords have imposed another witness protection person on him. For clarification, a passing knowledge of Lucie Miller's first Big Finish adventure, _Blood of the Daleks_ , is useful for understanding his mindset. She's one of Eight's companions, and... much like with Donna... she didn't get on with the Doctor at first. And perhaps had more reason to take out anger on him.

 

If anyone is blinking over the Doctor's described outfit, I can explain. It wasn't seen on screen in either the Movie or _Night of the Doctor_ , but it is from the _Dark Eyes_ series from Big Finish. (While I don't currently own any copies, I will one day soon! I keep hearing great things about it.) I was going to use the _Night of the Doctor_ outfit, but it dawned on me that the _Dark Eyes_ one allowed me to potentially throw some confusion into the mix. Couldn't resist.

 

Throughout the story I will occasionally make a Big Finish reference, but I've kept it to three total adventures. The two-part Blood of the Daleks is one. Horror of Glam Rock is the second, and The Vengence of Moribus is the last. One note: the last is the cliffhanger for the second run of Eight and Lucie adventures, so I'd hold off on that one until you've caught up a bit. Not like I did...

 

Please enjoy the rest of the ride!


	2. Chapter Two: Attempts to Part Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See Chapter One for all the notes.

“No, wait, wait, wait! I haven't run scans yet!”

 

Donna flew out of the TARDIS, ignoring the Doctor again. Only she stopped cold in the face of the building before her. “I said 'Saint Mary's'. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?”

 

The Doctor frowned and looked at the TARDIS with alarm. “Something's wrong with the Old Girl,” he remarked, a stutter making its presence known.

 

Donna rolled her eyes. What a Spaceman! Could there be a greater outer space dunce?!

 

He eyed the readings. “Are you... recalibrating? No... you're _digesting_!”

 

At last Donna turned to look back. Her eyes went huge as she saw just what she had stepped out of. It was one of the old police public call boxes her family used to mention!

 

He looked up at the rotor. “What have you eaten? What's wrong?” His hands raced across the panel as he tried to get a handle on things. “Donna?” he called out. “Think about what you've been through recently. Is there anything that might have caused this?”

 

He was completely unaware that Donna was walking slowly around the TARDIS exterior, touching the outside to reconcile what she had experienced with what she was seeing. Her eyes were huge, and yet it all felt real beneath her hands. There was a hint of vibration that she couldn't account for.

 

“What have you done? Any sort of possible alien contacts? If I don't know what you've been exposed to then I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. Have you seen lights in the sky?”

 

He was rattling off any idea that came to mind. All the while he kept looking at readings that made no sense. “Or... did you touch something? Something-- anything different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... You know, who are you getting married to? Are you sure he's Human?”

 

He stopped when out of the corner of his eye he saw Donna stumbling backwards, hands over her mouth. Her eyes were so huge over the shock that she turned and ran in her short heels.

 

“Donna!” he called out, tossing on the satchel he had taken to carrying as he rushed after her. He couldn't let her just leave, and there was no telling what he might need. Luckily he caught up quickly as her shoes were not meant for running in. “Donna, come back into the TARDIS.”

 

“Leave me alone,” she pleaded. “I just want to get married.”

 

“It's all right.”

 

“No way. That box is too... weird.”

 

“No, it's... it's just... bigger on the inside, that's all,” he said, stutter appearing again.

 

She scoffed. “Oh! That's all?” She checked her watch and grew more frantic, especially since she needed to slow down. “Ten past eleven. I'm gonna miss it.”

 

He tried to think of what had worked with Lucie. Only Donna was plainly older, and so he realized he had to wing it. Story of his life. “How about you phone them, tell them where you are?”

 

“How do I do that?”

 

“Well, haven't most Humans got a mobile these days?”

 

Donna stopped, making him stop even before she fixed a glare at him. “I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said 'Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets'?!”

 

He sighed after taking a few breaths. “Okay, okay, okay. This man you're marrying -- what's his name?”

 

Her manner instantly changed, her eyes sparkling and a smile lighting her face. “Lance.”

 

Dealing with her wild emotional range left him rubbing his forehead and where she had slapped him. “Good luck, Lance.”

 

“Oi!” she snapped, pointing a finger at him.

 

He leaned back in the face of the sharp change in demeanor. This was not something he was used to.

 

“No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!” she shouted, running off again.

 

He groaned. “What is it about this me that the universe sends me Humans that drive me barmey?!”

 

But he had a mystery to solve. So he ran after her, and she led him to a busy street.

 

“Taxi!” Donna shouted, waving frantically and yet being ignored. When she noticed that the Doctor had followed her, her mood had changed. “Why's his light on??”

 

Maybe he had seen enough that he had an answer, after all.

 

He looked around. “I'll try and help you catch one.”

 

They tried several times. All without success.

 

“Oi!” Donna cried yet again, sinking in her shoes.

 

The Doctor frowned. “Strange effect, this is. Why aren't they stopping?”

 

She struggled for ideas. “They think I'm in fancy dress.”

 

He blinked at her. “Humans usually say that about me. Or they used to.”

 

“Stay off the sauce, darlin'!” one driver shouted, honking at them.

 

Donna rolled her eyes. “They think I'm drunk.”

 

Before the Doctor could comment on how obvious it was that she was sober, two guys passing by in their car yelled out of the window, pointing right at Donna, **“** You're fooling no-one, mate!”

 

She groaned silently. “They think I'm in drag!” she snapped.

 

He looked her up and down. “They must be blind.”

 

“Or they just hate gingers.”

 

“Now that is simply wrong. But wait, wait, let's see if I can do this.” He put his fingers between his lips and whistled, long and piercing.

 

Donna winced and covered her ears. But a taxi soon drew to a halt next to them. She clambered inside, and just accepted that the alien ponce was following her. “Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road,” she instructed as the driver pulled away. “It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just... hurry up!”

 

The driver looked at her through his rear-view mirror. “You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today.”

 

“Oh, my God!” She turned to the Doctor. “Have you got any money?”

 

He winced, suddenly convinced she was ready to slap him again and he had no way out. Honesty was the only option. “Um, no. You?”

 

“Pockets!” she reminded him sharply, gesturing at her dress.

 

Soon the taxi screeched to a halt. The Doctor was happy to get out, and waited until Donna got out to slam the door. But his attention was more on the slew of words coming out of Donna. “And that goes double for your mother!” she shouted as the taxi drove off.

 

The Doctor's eyes were huge. “You're creative with the insults.”

 

“I'll have him,” she vowed, ignoring the alien yet again. “I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas Spirit.”

 

“Clearly they lack it toward a hair color that the painters of old loved,” he tossed out.

 

She spotted something in the distance and hit him on the chest with the back of her hand. “Phone box! A real one! We can reverse the charges!” she declared, all as she led him toward it.

 

“Wait, wait, wait, how come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?” he asked, as soon as the thought hit him.

 

“Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon in Morocco. Sunshine -- lovely.”

 

He didn't grasp it even when they reached the phone box. He still held the door open for Donna as she grabbed the phone.

 

Her frantic emotions ramped up as her memories failed her. “What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?”

 

He just drew out his sonic screwdriver and aimed at the phone. “Just call the direct. It'll work now.”

 

The dial tone buzzed on the end of the receiver, and Donna stared at him in surprise. “What did you do?”

 

He was looking around for the next thing they needed. Distracted, he casually dropped, “Something Martian. Now, phone your family. I'll get money!”

 

He ran to the nearest cash machine, its logo familiar as signaling the bank that UNIT officers used. He recalled that the senior officers like the Brigadier had overridden his insistence that he needed no money.

 

Yet his luck continued to run poorly. The man using it in front of him was being aggravatingly slow – much like getting the Time Lord Council to agree to something in a hurry. He rubbed his forehead. “Why do Humans need to spend so much time here?” he muttered under his breath.

 

It took far too long before the man finally left. He darted forwards, looking around him to make sure no one was paying attention. He used his sonic screwdriver to retrieve cash from the machine.

 

When he finally got to take the cash, his ears picked up yet another problem. Christmas music, played on horns. The tune was nagging him. He looked in that direction and stilled. A trio of masked Santas playing trumpets approached from a short distance away.

 

“No, not you again,” he said. “What are you doing here? Why now? Why two Christmas' in a row?”

 

“Taxi!” Donna shouted.

 

His attention was diverted as a taxi pulled up beside her. She talked a few seconds with the driver, and then shouted back to him. “Thanks for nothing, spaceman! I'll see you in Court.”

 

She climbed in and it drove away promptly. And just then he realized that the driver was a masked Santa.

 

“No, Donna! Wait, wait, wait!”

 

But the driver was too far away.

 

The Santas playing the trumpets came even closer. All three of them soon held their trumpets like weapons, aimed right at him.

 

“Oh, no, you don't!” he declared as he sonicked the cash machine. Notes flew everywhere. He ignored the mad scramble and confusion as the Humans predictably rushed around, attempting to catch the money and stuff it into their pockets. With the Santas backing off, he could run to the TARDIS unopposed.

 

The Doctor sprinted through the TARDIS doors the instant he got them open. He pounded on the controls, bringing the ship into action. “Come on, Old Girl,” he pleaded as the rotor began reacting. “We need to follow that taxi!”

 

He traced the taxi's progress on his monitor, and winced as he saw the direction. “The motorway! Oh, this won't be easy, but we can't let them take her for whatever they want her for. It has to be connected to how she appeared in here.”

 

As they flew toward the taxi, sparks erupted from the TARDIS console. The tilting was dangerous, and he was struggling to stay on his feet.

 

“I know you would rather deal with a time eddy right now!” he snapped. “Now behave and get me to her!”

 

Finally he was close enough, but how to keep driving and still rescue her? The teleports might not be working, especially given whatever the Old Girl was digesting. “Well, time to evoke the old 'save the universe with a piece of string' me!”

 

He quickly attached string to the console. “Have to make this long enough so I can operate the controls from the door. Sorry about the lack of finesse, Old Girl.” The tilting forced him to stumble over to the doors, string between teeth because he needed his hands to stay upright, and threw them open. The TARDIS and the taxi were zooming along the motorway.

 

When he saw Donna staring wide-eyed at him, hands pressed against the window, he took the string out of his mouth. “Open the door, Donna!” he shouted.

 

“Do you what?” she called back, muffled by the window.

 

“Open the door!”

 

“I can't, it's locked!”

 

“Of course,” he griped as he sonicked the door.

 

Instead of opening the door, Donna pushed the window down. “Santa's a robot!”

 

“Yes, Donna, I see that! Now open the door!”

 

“What for?”

 

“Don't you see? You've got to jump!”

 

Donna's voice instantly went shrill. “I'm not bleedin' flip jumping, I'm supposed to be getting married!”

 

Suddenly the taxi sped past the TARDIS. Like the robot was listening.

 

“Oh, no! Not this time you won't!” He pulled sharply on the string. Random explosions burst from the console and he worried for the ship's safety. He felt her bang against something. “Oh, I hope that didn't leave a dent.”

 

The TARDIS finally pulled herself back in line with the taxi. The Doctor struggled to regain his balance and then aimed his sonic. “Time to shut off!”

 

The robot stilled, disabled.

 

“One problem down. Now, listen to me -- you've got to jump.”

 

“I'm not jumping on a motorway,” she insisted.

 

“What does it take to get through to you?! That robot needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it cannot be good. Now, come on and jump!”

 

“I'm in my wedding dress!”

 

“Don't be obstinate!” he shouted, completely exasperated. “Yes, it's a lovely dress and you look lovely! Now jump!”

 

Eyes wide with fear, Donna opened the door, yelping as it flew open. She positioned herself to jump. Feeling that he got through to her, the Doctor held out his arms to catch her.

 

Donna looked up at him, paling over the racing motorway. “I can't do it,” she whimpered.

 

He shook his head, speaking just loudly enough that she could hear over the road. “Yes, you can. Trust me. I won't let you fall.”

 

In the end, the need to escape overpowered the fear. Donna screamed as she jumped out. The momentum and her angle slammed her into the Doctor. They fell in a heap on the floor, eyes huge.

 

“Well, that's a first for me,” he muttered as he psychically made the doors slam closed. One more twist of his wrist and the TARDIS zoomed back up into the sky.

 

Just before more explosions rocked their journey.

 

“Oh, no!” he exclaimed, managing to get Donna to her feet so he could rush to the Controls. “We have to land!”

 

“Try and get me to the church!” she cried, hanging on even tighter to a handy rail as she eyed the fires starting nearby. “I don't fancy dying of smoke inhalation!”

 

“Neither do I!”


	3. Chapter Three: Rooftop Exchanges

**Chapter Three: Rooftop Exchanges**

 

Donna looked at her watch. Just gone half eleven. Too late. So she couldn't even think about what was happening behind her. They were on some high rise rooftop in London. She had no idea where.

 

She vaguely heard the Doctor coughing and spluttering, and the sound of a fire extinguisher as he battled the smoke billowing from inside. “It's all right, Old Girl,” she heard. “You'll be fine. Just rest for a while.”

 

Only when it was all calmed did he put down the extinguisher and join Donna. “The old girl does a lot of amazing things, even more so for a spaceship, but flying within a planet's atmosphere isn't one of her strengths. She'll need a couple of hours to heal and be flight capable again.”

 

She had no reaction. Just kept staring out over the skyline.

 

The Doctor stilled. After seeing her so animated earlier, seeing her so empty felt wrong. “Are you all right?”

 

She shrugged. “Doesn't matter,” she said quietly.

 

“This might be a daft question, but... did we miss it?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, can you book another date?”

 

“Course we can,” she muttered.

 

“Don't you still have the honeymoon?”

 

“It's just a holiday now.”

 

“Oh... yes... sorry.” He looked in the same direction she was, taking his cues from her. “Look, I'm out of my depth here. Never dealt with anything like this before, and I've seen a lot of things.”

 

She glanced at him, for once gently. “It's not your fault.”

 

The Doctor smiled. “Thank you. Now I remember why I bother with you lot.”

 

Donna sighed, and had to comment, “Didn't you say she's a time machine? Then we could go back and get it right as soon as she's ready.”

 

He shook his head firmly. “Donna, I can't go back on someone's personal timeline. I've done it before, and it's always been bad. I'll only do it if the alternative is worse. And I don't want to experience _that_ again. Last time I had to let my companion think I'd died.”

 

Donna narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, trying to tell whether he was messing with her. But she didn't want to worry about it, and so she moved to sit on the edge of the roof. Only her diving experience kept her from feeling nervous about it, and as bad as her day had been she was not going to give her detractors the satisfaction of completely giving up.

 

He saw her shiver, and shook his head. How very Human for them to not dress warmly enough. But he felt sorry for her, and so he took off the satchel so he could remove his jacket. “Here,” he said, draping it around her shoulders. “Don't want you freezing.”

 

She was startled. “Oh. Thanks.” As he sat beside her, she sniffed the lapels. “Weird. You aren't a big man, but I wouldn't say that this wouldn't fit a rat.”

 

“A rat wouldn't choose to wear clothes,” he replied. He frowned as he recalled something important. “I need something to keep you safe from those creatures,” he remarked, digging into his pockets. “They can trace you. Ah-ha!”

 

Donna scowled when he produced what looked like a wedding ring. “Oh, do you have to rub it in?”

 

He was patient. “This is a bio-damper. It should keep you hidden. May I?” he asked, holding his free hand out to her left.

 

She thought a moment, and sighed as she offered her hand.

 

He carefully and gently placed it into place, looking her in the eyes the whole time. “With this ring, I thee bio-damp,” he said, gently teasing.

 

She had to smile at his little antic. “For better or for worse.”

 

The Doctor smiled at her. “There, now. I knew you had it into you to give a lovely smile.”

 

Donna laughed and drew her hand back. “So, come on then. Robot Santas -- what are they for?”

 

He knew a deflection when he heard it. He was gifted at them himself. “Oh, they're your basic robo-scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. I've met them a few times, including last Christmas.”

 

“Why, what happened then?”

 

He looked back at her and blinked. “You mean you missed the great big spaceship hovering over London?”

 

She flinched and looked away. “I had a bit of a hangover,” she hedged.

 

The Doctor shook his head and exhaled quietly. “I still don't understand Humans sometimes. Getting yourselves so sloshed that you miss potentially important events. What's the point?”

 

“Oi,” she muttered, not feeling the urge to challenge him with more force than that.

 

“But the important question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS if my people weren't responsible for it?” he asked aloud as he contemplated her.

 

Donna rolled her eyes. He was going to be all Spaceman and she was going to have to quiet him somehow.

 

He reached into his jacket pocket. “Sorry, I need the medical probe,” he promptly said, guessing a slap might be in his future otherwise. “I won't touch anything that doesn't concern me. What's your job?”

 

“I'm a secretary,” she said as he began scanning her.

 

“Any specialties? Work for anyone really important?”

 

“Shorthand, typing, dictation. I type 150 words per minute, and I know the Dewey system, backwards. Not that I need that at H C Clements. I'm in the pool.”

 

“Well, that rules out working directly for someone important. And what does H C Clements do?” he added as he drew it away to listen to the readings again.

 

Her eyes narrowed at the probe. “Oh, security systems, you know... entry codes, ID cards -- that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'.”

 

“Keys...” he mused as he shook his head, speaking absentmindedly. “I don't understand. This is weird and I deal in weird all the time. I mean, you're not powerful, you've got no connections to powerful figures on Earth, you're not important by any meaningful definition of the word to any other species. And I'm not yet seeing a specialness that would matter outside your friends and family. So why were _you_ targeted?”

 

She noticed that he meant no insult, but the words were too close for comfort. “These friends of yours you mentioned – just before they left, did any of them punch you in the face? Stop bleeping me!” she snapped, raising her hand as he raised the probe again.

 

He sighed. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said as he put the probe away just as carefully as he drew it out. “How did you get the job?”

 

His tone mollified her enough that she relaxed into telling her story. “I was temping. I arrived on my first day to be placed in a crowded, open-plan office space. I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought -- I'm never gonna fit in here. And that's when I met Lance. We met eyes from across the office, and then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee. And Lance -- he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny.”

 

The Doctor listened to her, watching her come alive as she recalled the events that led her to today. She was engaging when she wasn't angry, he decided. Maybe she would make a good companion, if she weren't getting married.

 

“And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him -- one cup of coffee. That was it.”

 

“So when was this?”

 

“Six months ago.”

 

He was puzzled. “Sounds a bit quick, to get married that soon in this age. Don't most people want more time together first? At least that's what I understand.”

 

She hesitated. “Well... he insisted,” she claimed. She was lost in the memories of those moments trying to persuade Lance. “And he nagged... and he nagged me... And he just wore me down and then finally, I just gave in.”

 

He noticed the shifty look in her eyes and he waited until she looked close enough in his direction to notice his focus. “Are you lying to me?”

 

“You what?!” she blurted.

 

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. “Donna, I have lived a long time. I might still be ignorant of a lot of Human habits and patterns, but I can tell that there's more to the story. Your hesitation suggests that maybe you're not telling me the whole account. If I'm to protect you from those creatures and to figure out what they want with you, I can't afford to be lied to. Not even slightly.”

 

Donna winced and thought about it. At length she groaned. “Fine! I nagged him. There, are you happy? You know my dirty secret.”

 

“I wouldn't say it makes me happy. If anything it makes me feel sorry for you. Why would a beautiful woman need to nag a man into marrying her?”

 

She gave him a look like she thought he was stupid. “Have you even noticed what colour my hair is?”

 

“Yes, you have this unique shade of ginger. Reminds me of some of the most beautiful sights in the universe.”

 

The honest look and implication that he thought her being beautiful was a matter of fact not opinion gave her pause, and she had to think to remember her usual tirade. “Well, people on Earth haven't liked gingers much for a long while. I can't remember a time in school when I wasn't teased about it.”

 

“What is it about you Humans, being so fixed on physical characteristics and assigning value to them?”

 

“If I knew what started it, I might be able to do something about it, dumbo.”

 

“I still don't have an answer.”

 

She didn't care to answer, but she knew he would insist. Something about him seemed like he didn't forget about something readily. “Well, the dislike is enough that no one's ever been interested enough to want me for anything other than practice. Lance was the first to treat me well. Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences.” Her face fell into her hands briefly. “Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy.”

 

He had a tiny smile on his face. “Donna, I'm not from Mars and I'm obviously not a boy.”

 

Donna smirked. “I'm not taking it back. Not unless you show me if there really are Martians.”

 

“Would be difficult. They're no longer living in your age, and they were very secretive. So! Shall we go and ensure your family and fiancée know you're safe?”

 

“Okay.”

 

The Doctor stood and lent her his hands to help her up. “There we go! Oh, keep my jacket for the moment. We might have a little wait getting a ride to the church,” he said as he put the satchel back on.

 

“No, we should go on to the reception site,” she said as they walked. “There was another wedding scheduled after us, so they would have to leave by now anyway. Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's gonna be heartbroken.”

 

“No, they'll be happy you're safe! What could they be doing other than fretting about you?”


	4. Unreceptive Reception

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting. RL, y'all.

The taxi ride over was pretty calm. The talking was a bit restrained since neither of them wanted the driver overhearing something he didn't need to. So it was more about little details. Like, where have you traveled? What's something amazing you've seen?

 

Of course, the Doctor had to keep his answers to Earth places, and make it sound like he'd recently been there. As in within the years that he looked like he had been an adult in Human terms.

 

Perhaps it was better to say the ride was more strained than restrained. At least Donna was enjoying his stories. It sounded like she was a bit envious of his ability to see amazing places.

 

However, as soon as they arrived he knew something was not right. He could hear something titled _Merry Christmas Everybody_ playing, a more rock and roll sound, at a level that should be uncomfortable for all Humans. As they walked in, he realized that everyone had decided to go on with the reception without Donna. Everyone was dancing, drinking, eating and laughing.

 

_How can anyone do this to someone whose big day they came to celebrate? Why would they celebrate without the bride?_

 

He saw her, out of the corner of his eye, looking around at the merriment, thunderstruck. She folded her arms and waited. He braced himself silently for the oncoming explosion, and to see how well he could keep things from turning into violence. Never mind preparing sharp comments of his own for when needed.

 

He noticed a blonde woman who had to be in the age range of the next generation was the first to spot Donna. She instantly froze. One by one the rest of the room caught on, with a man in what looked like a groom's suit being the last one to notice – having been dancing with some blonde woman in a blue dress.

 

“You had the reception without me?” Donna demanded.

 

The man in the groom's suit, a man with dark skin who looked absolutely shocked to see her, was the first to speak. “Donna... what happened to ya??”

 

“You had the reception without me?!” she snapped, tone getting shriller.

 

An awkward pause followed. The Doctor shook his head. “I have had some bad reunions with my family and friends, but I have sometimes seen more respect in the treatment I've received from enemies.”

 

She turned to him. “They had the reception without me.”

 

“Yes, I can see that.”

 

The blonde Lance had been dancing with was unrepentant. “Well, it was all paid for -- why not?”

 

“Thank you, Nerys,” Donna growled.

 

“Oh, that's Nerys? I've met loads of people like her, but I know I've never met her,” the Doctor muttered under his breath.

 

“Well, what were we supposed to do?” said the woman who saw Donna first. Something in her manners caught the Doctor's attention. Her tone was familiar as she berated Donna. “I got your silly little message in the end. 'I'm on Earth'? Very funny. What the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know-”

 

The whole room was quickly talking at once. Even the Doctor had trouble picking out individual words and he had heard babble, real babble.

 

Not liking it at all, he stepped in-between Donna and the room. Sensing Donna's feelings of uselessness fueled his own frustration even as the crowd quieted. “How considerate, accusing her of doing some kind of party piece! I can tell you that no one deserves such treatment. And to treat the _money_ as more important than _her_? When her safety was in question? Just how shallow are you lot?”

 

Nerys looked him over with a scowl. “Who are you to talk to us like that, Nancy-boy?”

 

It had to be the trousers giving off that impression, because he hadn't heard that insulting name since he wore his first outfit in this body. “I'm the Doctor. And where I come from this look is extremely sober. But that's not the point and you know it. I thought you lot would have a lot more compassion on a woman who's been kidnapped!”

 

“Kidnapped?!”

 

While multiple people said it, the thought raising emotions to a near fever pitch, only one reaction caught the Doctor's attention. Lance's eyes went a bit too wide, a bit too alarmed. And a bit too faked.

 

But before he could challenge the Human on it, he heard Donna start crying. The anger of the room melted instantly into pity. Lance pushed past the Doctor to hug Donna, and she cried into his shoulder. Every person – except Nerys – applauded and began talking sympathetically.

 

The Doctor stepped back, not keen to be in the middle of such a celebration and a little annoyed that he wad denied his chance to question the groom and give everyone a proper what for. Then Donna opened her eyes, catching his attention. She winked at him, out of sight of the others.

 

He slowly smirked. _She_ _'_ _s faking it to distract her family and friends, to calm them. Clever Earthgirl._ _That mean_ _s_ _I have more time to gather_ _information._ He silently took back almost all of the uncharitable thoughts he had entertained earlier and hung back, hoping for enough peace to assess what his next step should be.

 

Luckily for him, the Humans seemed fine with ignoring him. Mostly. He did have to politely send a few females and one persistent male back to the dance floor. Other than that, he was alone with his thoughts as he scanned the crowd with his eyes, leaning sideways against the bar. An earlier, discrete sniff had confirmed that everyone present was Human.

 

Donna, now dancing with Lance, caught his eye and stuck her tongue out at him. He quietly laughed. Teasing Human! He wondered what other surprises she had in store.

 

Not that he had the time to contemplate it. He had a lot to consider.

 

_Right, so what could possibly have brought her into my TARDIS? There aren't that many things that could cause the golden glow she described, and nothing my people can do to teleport a person from one part of the universe into another is among them. And how do the robot mercenaries fit in? They lack the creative intelligence to manage such a challenge, but they wouldn't take orders to that degree. And there has to be some accomplice on Earth to get whatever it is into Donna's proximity and then inside of her. But who? Why did Lance seem so shifty about thinking that Donna was kidnapped from the wedding? And what role does H C Clements play in this? And speaking of, who runs the company?_

 

He wanted the TARDIS computer, but he saw something that would work as a substitute. A man who had clearly had more than his share of alcohol was on his mobile. So the Doctor approached him. “May I borrow that to make a call?”

 

The man nodded. “I can give you five minutes, mate,” he said, handing it over.

 

“Thank you.”

 

The Doctor waited for the man to turn around and get another drink. Whether it was wise for the Human to do so, he chose to not think about it. Instead he drew up the internet search feature. He typed “H C Clements” and started the search.

 

It ran very slow. He hadn't dealt with a computer that sluggish in hundreds of years at least.

 

He looked around. No one was paying him any attention, but just to be certain he turned away so he could draw out the Sonic to increase the speed, using his jacket to conceal it further. Once the search was running more at the sort of speed he expected he put the Sonic away. The boost would only last for the duration of the search, so he didn't have to worry about leaving something on the mobile that he shouldn't.

 

Just as his hand withdrew from his pocket, the search produced a result. It had found the sole proprietor of HC Clements.

 

“Torchwood,” he whispered, paling. “That is not good.”

 

Soon he handed the phone back to the man, with one more thank you which was barely acknowledged. But the Doctor had much on his mind as he went right back to his previous spot.

 

_Given the arrogance of that organization, they might have the means. Stolen, of course. But nonetheless have it. Now the question is did anyone get a good look at what happened to Donna._

 

Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A cameraman filming the reception. Intrigued, he walked over immediately.

 

It took little persuasion to get the cameraman to put a tape in the camera. Thank the Eternals.

 

“I taped the whole thing -- they've all had a look,” he explained as he set it up. “They said 'sell it to You've Been Framed'. I said, 'more like the News'. Here we are...”

 

The Doctor watched as the film showed Donna walking down the aisle. It was zoomed in on her smiling face. Within moments she seemed to disintegrate into golden particles as she screamed.

 

His eyes went huge. “No, that can't be! Play it again!” he demanded, leaning in for a better look. It was reminding him of something from school, something deeply impressed on all the initiates of his time.

 

“Clever, mind!” the cameraman said as he rewound the video. “Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping.”

 

The Doctor watched the video closely, and his brow tightened even as his voice blurted with incredulity, “But that looks like... Huon Particles!”

 

“What's that?”

 

“It's too complex for a mere secretary to have done on her own, no matter how intelligent she is. It had to have been done _to_ her, not _by_ her. But that's impossible, that's beyond ancient! Huon energy hasn't existed for billions of years, not independently! It's so old that...” He trailed off as his eyes went to Donna's hand, horror filling him. “.... it can't be hidden by a biodamper!”

 

He ran straight to a window, praying he would be wrong. But there were the Santas, making their way leisurely to the house hosting the reception. “This is not my day,” he muttered as he rushed to Donna's side.

 

“Donna! Donna, they've found you. They're coming.”

 

“But you said I was safe.”

 

“The biodamper doesn't work against what they're using. We've got to get everyone out and you away from here.”

 

Donna gasped. “Oh, my God -- it's all my family-”

 

He grabbed her hand, ignoring the shock from those around her. “We'll go out the back door!”

 

Except they saw two more of the Santas.

 

“All right, not this way,” the Doctor conceded, leading Donna back inside.

 

“There is a way out, right? They can't have us surrounded, can they?” she asked as she followed closely.

 

But the window next to the remaining door showed two more Santas.

 

“We're trapped,” she breathed.

 

“Oh, I'm afraid things are about to get worse,” he admitted.

 

Sure enough, one of the Santas was holding some kind of device, and raised it.

 

“A remote control. But what for-?” The Doctor cut himself off as a detail hit him. He looked at the Christmas tree in the middle of the room, surrounded by children. And there were other trees in the room.

 

Donna saw what had his attention. “What about the tree? What's so alarming?”

 

“They use them to kill,” he declared as he ran into the crowd, with Donna hot on his heels. “Get away from the trees!”

 

“Don't touch the trees!” she shouted, believing he spoke the truth.

 

“Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!”

 

Donna tried to make the group of little girls to move away. “Out! Lance, tell them!”

 

“Stay away from the trees!” the Doctor said over her. “Stay away from the tree!s”

 

Donna's mother was unimpressed. “Oh, for God's sakes, the man's an idiot! Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna... oh!”

 

The Doctor looked back at the tree, and saw what caught her attention. Along with the whole room. The shiny baubles were floating away from the tree. It seemed like a strange dance of birds that hovered over their heads. While the room chattered excitedly he shook his head at Donna's inquiring look. “This cannot end well.”

 

No sooner had he said it the baubles began dive-bombing around the room, causing small explosions with a lot of smoke. It scattered them all.

 

The Doctor had to dive for cover, and then realized he had no idea where Donna was. “No!” he breathed.

 

The only comfort he had was that he wasn't hearing her scream or any teleport sounds. Which meant that perhaps the biodamper was making it hard for them to get a lock on her and that he had time to stop them. But how?

 

Only then did he notice what he had half been thrown against. His eyes twinkled with triumph. He cautiously got up and saw the Santas lined up and looking for something. Probably Donna. Everyone had found some cover, and he couldn't see his unintentional companion.

 

But he had a plan and was ready to carry it out. “Hey!” he shouted as he stood. “Roboforms! You just made a huge mistake. You let a man with with a sonic screwdriver...” He paused long enough to draw the microphone near. “... right next to the sound system.”

 

He pressed the head of his sonic screwdriver next to the amplifiers. The resulting noise made an awful screeching sound that made even him wince. He wondered distantly if this was what some of those who heard phantom noises endured every moment of every day. He did not want to think about that kind of hell.

 

The Humans covered their ears as expected. But the Santas shook violently, vibrating like an old washing machine for many long seconds. At last they collapsed, breaking into pieces.

 

The Doctor silenced the sound and rushed to examine the remains of the Santas, along with picking up anything he thought he could use to stop them. He could hear everyone getting up off the floor, and some helping others. As he evaluated the mechanical details and quickly pocketed useful items he recognized Donna's voice, first checking on what sounded like children and then giving instructions to others. “I kept her safe from you,” he muttered as he picked up the control device the one Santa was using. “Now what were you doing with this? A remote control for the decorations, but...”

 

He trailed off as he spotted something else inside one of the Santa heads. Something that they all had.

 

“Oh, that's not good. Not good at all.”

 

“What isn't?”

 

He looked up at Donna's approach. “There's a second remote control for the robots,” he explained, using his sonic to find clues in one of the heads. “They're not scavengers anymore. Looks like someone's taken possession of them. I've never heard of such a thing happening.”

 

“Never mind all that, you're a doctor -- people have been hurt,” she pleaded.

 

“Your physicians will do more for them. But these robots didn't intend to kill you. They wanted you alive. You see, the baubles aren't active now,” he added, tossing one to her.

 

She numbly caught it. “All I'm saying -- you could help.”

 

The Doctor had to hold one of the heads near his ear, making the signals from his sonic clearer. “I have to think of the bigger picture... and there's still a signal!” he cried in triumph and rushed outside.

 

It helped, making the scans cleaner and the sonic signals stronger. “Come on, where are you? What do you want?”

 

“Doctor?”

 

“No surprise you followed for answers, Donna. There's someone behind this, directing the robo-force.”

 

“But why is it after me? What have I done?”

 

“If we find the controller, we'll find that out. Oh! Now that's interesting.” He raised his sonic screwdriver into the air. “It's up there. Something in the sky.”

 

“You mean there's another spaceship out there?”

 

“Perhaps. What they want is still a mystery, and we need to solve who their accomplice here on Earth is. Not to mention what they gain from it. Oh, no!”

 

“What?”

 

He exhaled sharply as he lowered the sonic. “I've lost the signal! Donna, we need to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started. Who can give us a lift?”


	5. Chapter Five: Underground Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting this story fully posted here in anticipation of something else coming up tomorrow. Please feel free to comment on each chapter.

“I don't know why you Humans call those Smart cars. They're smaller on the inside.”

Donna glared at the Doctor as they hurried inside H C Clements, Lance trailing closely behind. It was not her fault that Lance's car was small even for British vehicles. “Oi, we can't all have weird spaceships.”

“If you knew the TARDIS better you'd think she's wonderful.”

“Could've been worse. You could've been taller.”

Only her cheeky tone and smile kept him from being indignant.

None too soon for the Doctor, they arrived on the floor where Donna worked. He went straight to Donna's desk, once she pointed it out, and thought aloud as he tried to get information from her computer. “This might just appear to be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute.”

“Who are they?” Donna asked.

“They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf,” he said, not looking up as he used the Sonic to bypass the security measures.

The silence that followed caught his attention. Donna was not the silent type. He looked at her and saw a blank expression. He straightened, brows furrowed. “The Cyberman invasion,” he prompted. “Big metal suits that marched in formation?”

Donna looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

He could hardly believe it. Especially since Lance looked like he knew about it, as much as he looked out of his depth. “Skies over London full of Daleks?” he queried. “Giant pepper pots that wanted to kill everyone?”

Recognition finally hit her. “Oh, I was in Spain,” she said, slightly dismissive.

“They had Cybermen all over the world, and the Daleks were spreading across Europe.”

“Scuba diving,” she said, as if that were enough of an explanation.

He shook his head and muttered, “The big picture, Donna -- you keep on missing it and I don't understand how.” He turned back to the computer and used the Sonic again to hunt for answers. “Torchwood was devastated, but H C Clements stayed in business. I believe... someone else came in and took over the operation. And why won't these things cooperate?!”

She leaned into his peripheral vision. “But what do they want with me?”

He paused and stood up straight, giving her his full attention. “That is a very good question, and that's part of why we're here. But what I think you really want to know is why you were targeted and how they got you away from the church.”

The gentle tone was calming and Donna found herself nodding. “Yeah, so what do you think happened? What do you suspect?”

“That somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark times, a billion years ago. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is as a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. That is what I believe happened.” He looked around her desk for items to use as a visual. “Say... that's the TARDIS...” He held up a mug on her desk. “And that's you.” He held up a pencil. “The particles inside you activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and BANG!” He threw the pencil into the mug. “You were pulled inside the TARDIS. Which means my people are innocent in this, which is surprising.”

Donna stared at the items, feeling sick on the inside. “I'm a pencil inside a mug?” she asked, her voice failing to hide her hurt.

The Doctor blinked. He had to remain observant in case Donna knew something she didn't know that she knew until she remembered it. “Is there something bad about that?”

“Oi! I am not gay. And I'm not a boy. And I do not watch whimpy television programs...! Okay, I watch some, but not all of them! But I'm definitely not a gay man!”

He sighed as he put them down. “No, no, no. I don't mean an insult. You Humans are so quick to take offence over everything in this era! Lance? What was H C Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? Signs that say 'Do not enter'?”

“I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel. I wasn't project manager,” the groom snapped. He saw the Doctor hold his strange device against the screen again, and 3D building plans suddenly appeared. “Why am I even explaining myself?! What the hell are we talking about?!”

“This place makes keys, that's the point,” the Doctor answered absently, not paying him much attention. “Ah-ha! A path to answers!”

He ran back toward the lifts, and Donna followed. “What? What did you find?”

Lance trailed them again. The Doctor didn't speak until a lift was coming toward them. “We're on the third floor. Underneath reception, there's a basement.”

“That's right,” Donna agreed.

The doors pinged open. The Doctor stepped inside as he revealed his discovery. “Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'? There's a floor that doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?”

“Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?” Lance asked, eyes big.

“No, I'm showing you this building's got a secret floor.” The Doctor's answer was clipped, like he was silently suggesting that _Lance_ was the thick creature that Donna thought he had called her. Perhaps it was unfair, but he hoped that he could provoke a reaction that would explain the man's strange behaviors.

Donna saw a problem, now seeing the buttons in her memory. “It needs a key.”

“Not a problem.” He made quick work of sonicking the lock. “Thank you both. I can handle this. See you later, Donna?”

“No chance, Martian,” Donna said coldly, stepped into the lift and fixing an equally icy stare on him. “You're the man who keeps saving my life. I ain't letting you out of my sight.”

The Doctor smiled and laughed at her determination. “Should I be scared, then?”

She gave a brief grin, pleased to see he respected her enough to playfully tease her. She turned to her fiancée. “Lance?”

The groom was noticeably shaky. “Maybe I should go to the police.”

“Inside,” she commanded.

Lance slowly joined them, rather meekly.

It served him right, the Doctor thought. Smirking, he jested, “To honour and obey?”

Lance thought he was being sympathetic. “Tell me about it, mate.”

“Oi,” Donna snapped as the doors closed.

It felt like a long journey to Donna before the lift pinged. The doors opened to reveal a long, dark, and dank corridor. The dim light was largely a rather eerie green. “Where are we? What goes on down here?”

“That's what we're here find out,” the Doctor replied, his eyes noting the details he was sure that Human eyes couldn't make out.

She stilled. “Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?”

“The mysterious H C Clements? I suspect we'll find out that he's part of it. We need transport. It looks like a long walk to anywhere useful and I don't think either of you are wearing the right shoes. Ah! Those should do.”

When Donna saw what he was walking toward, she silently groaned.

Soon the Doctor was moving along with the Humans flanking him, each on their own Segway. He would have walked the whole way, but time was of the essence and he doubted Donna's feet would last in those impractical shoes she had chosen. Although he had seen worse; she had the sense to wear very short heels.

Donna looked from where they were going to at the Doctor and Lance. They made a hugely comical sight, she thought as she burst into giggles.

The Doctor looked at her, a puzzled smile on his face. But she laughed harder, as if unable to speak. He had to join in. “Good for you, being able to laugh!”

A glance back at Lance said that he didn't get it. To think Donna called him the dumbo.

They came across a door marked **Torchwood -- authorised personnel only**. Naturally the Doctor stopped his Segway. Donna and Lance followed suit as he turned the wheel quickly. Once opened, he found a ladder that went a long way up.

“Wait here. Just need to get my bearings. Don't do anything or go anywhere,” he warned them both sharply as he started up the ladder.

“You'd better come back.”

The Doctor paused to look back down at Donna with a grin. “Oh, I think I couldn't get rid of you if I tried,” he jested before climbing. He did see Donna smile back first.

It felt like a while even to him, but he reached the top of the ladder. Only to find the underside of a manhole. He made quick work of opening it and climbed just out into daylight. He stilled as he looked at his surroundings, listening to the bird calls that confirmed his suspicion as to where they were.

He got back down as quickly as he could and jumped off the final rung. “Thames flood barrier! Torchwood slipped in a while ago and built this place underneath its foundations.”

Donna stared at him, disbelieving. “What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?!”

He almost shrugged. “Not the first time I've seen it happen,” he said as he led them toward another door marked with the Torchwood logo. “Last time was over two and a half years ago.”

Donna was almost as wide-eyed as Lance, but shaking her head. Could he be for real, she wondered as the Doctor led the way through the door he opened.

The room was an obvious laboratory, but it was full of massive test tubes bubbling away with a golden liquid. Chemistry equipment littered the tables.

The Doctor's eyes widened as he took it all in. “Particle extrusion! Magnificent!”

“What does it do?” Donna asked.

“Hold on,” he said. He walked over to one of the giant tubes and tapped it, listening to the sound. “It's how they've been manufacturing Huon particles. Of course my people got rid of Huons, they unravelled the atomic structure.”

“Your people? Who are they? What company do you represent?” Lance said, almost demanding the answers.

The Doctor was hardly in a mood to give the truth. “Oh, I'm a freelancer. Rarely see eye to eye with my people. But Torchwood are rebuilding Huons using the river. Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result: Huon particles in liquid form,” he finished as he picked up a small stoppered tube full of the pale golden liquid.

Donna looked at the tube and then at him. “And that's what's inside me?”

“There's a simple way to confirm it.” He gently turned the little knob at the top of the test tube. The contents glowed gold, and Donna was doing the same an instant later.

“Oh, my God!” she cried.

The Doctor stopped it, slowly turning off the reaction to ensure no bad effects. “Ingenious, I will grant them that. At this point the particles are inert -- they need something living to catalyse inside and somehow you were chosen. They saturate the body, but they need a catalyst. What could that possibly be...? The wedding Yes, that's it!”

Donna nearly jumped backwards in the face of the Doctor's mad enthusiasm. Although he was pacing to help his thinking, only occasionally looking at Donna. 

“It had to be part of the plan. Best day of your life, walking down the aisle toward the future you always wanted. The body becomes a battleground with a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, the endorphins are cooking! You've been turned into a walking oven, a pressure cooker, a microwave – all in one! Everything is churning away until the particles reach boiling point, and you're magnetised. Hence how you appeared in the TARDIS!”

Donna was too overwhelmed by his thinking, and when he stopped in front of her she slapped him. Harder than before.

He needed a few steps to recover his balance, and looked at her indignantly. “What did I do this time?!”

“Are you enjoying this?”

The Doctor stilled and slowly slackened his posture, shame flooding him like it rarely did. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You might have noticed that I get excited when I have answers that I've sought unsuccessfully for a while. I can get a little overly enthusiastic, as I just proved.”

The apology calmed Donna. Knowing now that he meant no harm, and despite struggling to remain calm, she walked right up to him. “Right, just tell me. These particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?”

He thought about how to answer that. He had seen how others failed to treat her with consideration, had lied to her. Surely she wouldn't have been so desperate to convince someone to marry her had she been shown better treatment.

He hesitated far too long for her taste. “Doctor... if your lot got rid of Huon particles... why did they do that?”

Now he knew he had to give the whole truth, as gently as he could. “Because they were deadly to organic life.”

Donna paled and shook a little. “Oh, my God...”

“I'll sort it out, Donna,” he vowed, touching her shoulders in support. “Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. Whatever our differences, I'm not about to lose you.”

Crashes and bangs almost exploded all around them. All three whipped their heads around trying to figure out the origin.

“Oh, she is long since lost.”


	6. Chapter Six: Innerspace and Outerspace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since the release of “The Runaway Bride”, the scientific understanding surrounding the Earth's formation and the start of life has been changed. A hypothesis from decades ago has become widely accepted and is now taught in science museums. As my beta could tell you, it's more than possible for what's being taught to drastically change in just ten years, never mind what changes over a century. But for Doctor Who it means that the formation shown in TRB is wrong. So I've taken the liberty of showing what could have been done instead to show the Theia Impact.

The voice seemed to come from everywhere as the one walls without anything on it slid upwards. It revealed a secret chamber, huge, square and empty, lined with bare concrete, but with a flight of steps off to one side and a ledge around the perimeter some three meters above the floor. The Doctor's attention was caught by the enormous round hole in the floor.

“I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe... until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!” the voice declared.

At the same instant, the Doctor noticed two things. One was that Lance had fled, something he had expected but that Donna hadn't noticed yet. Or if she had, she was too distracted by the being's words. And second, the walls of the chamber were lined with Roboforms. These lacked the Santa disguise. Their normal masks were exposed, and they wore black hoods as they turned to train their weapons on them.

The Doctor held a hand back toward Donna, silently signaling that she should stay close. He suspected that it was her best chance, and he was grateful that her shock was enough that she followed closely. Once they were close enough, he looked a little down the hole. “Someone's been digging. How very Torchwood. Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?”

“Down and down, all the way to the centre of the Earth!”

“Wait, wait, wait... What for?”

“Dinosaurs.”

Donna's sudden word started him. “What?”

“Dinosaurs?” she asked.

“What about dinosaurs? Why would dinosaurs be down at the centre of the Earth?”

“There was a film, _Journey To The Centre Of The Earth_ , with dinosaurs. Trying to help!” she protested at his narrowed look.

“Well, we'll have to see. Nothing should be able to survive those temperatures.”

“Such a sweet couple,” the voice mocked.

The Doctor felt his patience slipping away. He turned around, walking a little around Donna as he addressed the voice. “In my long experience, only a madman talks to thin air. Obviously you've never heard of me or you wouldn't want to make me mad. Where are you?”

“High in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night,” the voice bragged.

“If you think I came all this way to talk on the intercom, you are mistaken! So come out! Let's have a look at you!”

“Who are you with such command?”

That kind of tone never sat well with any of his people, the one thing he definitely had in common with them. Even if they were equally guilty of it. “I'm the Doctor,” he proclaimed testily.

A brief pause, and then the answer came. “Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man, for you will be sick at heart.”

A large figure teleported into the chamber, and then snarling and growling hit their ears. Donna recoiled at the sight of giant, red-toned creature. The torso looked Human enough and was the size of a typical female, but the arms, top of the head, and body were anything but. Below the torso it was the type of spider that made the stuff of nightmares. Claws were in the place of hands, proportioned to the body. And the head had extra eyes on her hard crown head, although it was hard to tell how many of them actually saw anything. Although she had a sickly feeling that perhaps they all saw too much.

The Doctor's eyes went huge. “The Racnoss... Y-You're one of the Racnoss...! But that's impossible!”

“Empress of the Racnoss,” the being said, imperiously.

“If you're the Empress, where did the rest of the Racnoss go? Or are you the only one?”

“Such a sharp mind.”

The praise felt nothing like it. “That's it, the last of your kind. Something that makes anyone turn mad.” He leaned back to address Donna, explaining things he knew both from being taught and from genetic memory. “The Racnoss come from the Dark Times, billions of years ago, billions. They were carnivores, omnivores, they devoured whole planets.”

The Empress had snarled throughout the explanation, but his words caught her attention. “Racnoss are born starving, is that our fault?” she snapped.

Donna's recoil was stronger this time. “They eat people?” she squawked.

He was about to answer, but something caught his eye. “H C Clements, what kind of shoes did he wear? Were they... black and white? Whatever they're called?”

Her eyes lit in memory. “He did! We used to laugh, we used to call him the fat cat in spats.”

He winced and pointed to a web on the ceiling. Donna looked up to see a pair of black and white shoes still attached to a body, just poking out of the web. “Oh, my God!” she cried.

The Empress was happy. “Mm, my Christmas dinner,” she bragged, cackling.

The Doctor shook his head and narrowed his eyes at the Empress. “You shouldn't even exist! Long ago in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss, who were wiped out,” he explained to Donna.

As he explained, they both saw Lance step onto a balcony above the Racnoss', silently. He was holding an axe. Lance motioned to Donna to stay silent.

“Except for me,” the Empress declared, proudly.

Donna found her courage and decided to distract the Empress. “But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing. Oi! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How comes I get all stacked up with these Huon particles?”

The Doctor was impressed with Donna's determination. He hoped that as Lance descended the stairs, axe at the ready, would prove to have some worth. But something in Lance's manner told him not to be too optimistic.

“Look at me, you!” Donna demanded, keeping the being's attention. “Look me in the eye and tell me.”

“The bride is so feisty!”

“Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big... thing. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!”

Lance swung the axe. The Empress whipped her torso around and hissed. But then he stopped, glancing round at Donna. Suddenly he started to laugh and lowered the axe. The Empress laughed with him as he said to her, “That was a good one. Your face!”

She turned back to look at Donna and the Doctor, the latter's face hardening as things began to make sense. “Lance is funny,” the Empress said.

“What??” Donna blurted.

The Doctor touched her arm. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

“Sorry for what? Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!”

“God, she's thick,” Lance said, harsh and cold. He seemed completely aware of her looking right back at him, utterly confused. “Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map.”

“I don't understand,” Donna said, weakly.

The Doctor touched her arms to turn her to look away from Lance. “How did you meet him?”

“In the office,” she said quietly, like she couldn't quite believe he had forgotten.

“He made you coffee. That's how the Huons got into you. It was the coffee.”

“What??” she breathed.

“Every day, I made you coffee,” Lance said, witheringly.

The Doctor's speculation finally solidified. “I suspect that you had to be dosed with liquid particles over six months.”

“He was poisoning me?” she said, the pin dropping as it crushed her dreams.

He nodded and let go to confront Lance. “It was all there in the job title -- the Head of Human Resources.”

“This time, it's personnel,” he bragged, laughing in tune with the Empress.

“Was Donna the only one you poisoned? Or was she the only one who it seemed to take in?”

“She was the easiest to dose,” Lance smirked. “The ones who didn't get sick from it to begin with were all collected for the Racnoss.”

Donna made one last attempt to salvage the memories she had treasured, even in the face of her fiancée being involved in something so horrible to her colleagues. “But... we were getting married.”

Lance's words were nasty, sharp, and aimed to cut deep. “Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I had to say yes. And then I was stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour Pringle. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap yap yap -- "oh, Brad and Angelina -- is Posh pregnant?" X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, text me. Dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia.”

The Doctor thought about interrupting Lance more than once, because he couldn't think of anything that could justify speaking to anyone like that. Even when he confronted the Master and had to pop his ego – which kept happening, against all odds – he was not deliberately cruel. But what stayed him was the need to consider how to get them out of the chamber, because he did not want them to capture Donna for whatever they wanted.

Yet he kept a gentle hold on Donna's shoulder to try giving her an anchor against the storm. Sadly she seemed to be unaware.

“I deserve a medal,” Lance finished, the contempt for Donna choking the room.

“Wait, wait, wait... A medal? Is that what you have been offered? By the Empress? What are you? Her consort?” He let his own contempt for the idea dripping from every word. He wished he could've had him right before him, like with Arnold Korns after the unreasonable manager had led Trisha Tomorrow to her death. Although in Korns' defence, he was simply an arrogant person who could be humbled. Not a villain like Lance was proving to be.

“It's better than a night with her.”

Donna had to make one final plea, and it made the Doctor close his eyes briefly in compassion. “But I love you.”

Lance was practically smug in his nastiness. “That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor -- the big picture -- what's the point of it all if the Human Race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to... go out there. To see it. The size of it all. I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?”

“Motives never compensate for bad means,” the Doctor instantly countered. “If you think I can justify using an innocent person for selfish reasons, then you have underestimated me.”

“Who is this little physician?” the Empress asked Lance.

“She said Martian.”

The Doctor was definitely not going to give the straight answer. Not until he was certain he had the advantage over the Racnoss and Lance. “Oh, me? I'm a sort of... traveler. But the point is, what's down here? The Racnoss are extinct. What's going to help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth. How can anything survive that?”

“I think he wants us to talk,” Lance said, almost sing-song like.

“I think so too,” the Empress agreed.

“Well, tough! All we need is Donna!”

“Kill this chattering little doctor-man!” she commanded the Roboforms.

“Don't you hurt him!” Donna cried, stepping in-between the Doctor and the robots.

The Doctor tried to move Donna behind him. “No, no, it's all right.”

She was implacable. “No, I won't let them!”

“At arms!” the Empress cried, ignoring Donna.

As the robots pointed their guns at the Doctor, he reached into his pocket. “You're really going to risk hitting Donna?!”

“They won't hit the bride,” she hissed at him. “They're such very good shots.”

“Wait, wait, wait! You've forgotten something important,” the Doctor declared as he produced the vial from earlier. “When the particles activated in Donna they drew her inside my spaceship. So, reverse it... and my spaceship comes to her,” he added as he twisted the dial, but in the opposite direction than before. The particles glowed both in the tube and Donna, startling her.

“Take aim!” the Empress shouted as the TARDIS materialized around the Doctor and Donna. “Fire!”

They barely heard the last word, because the Old Girl was solid enough to protect them from the bullets.

“Let's go!” he cried, hurrying to the controls and making the ship dematerialize. “Now, the Old Girl is a time machine, and now we're going to use that,” he announced as he spun them through the vortex. “We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning.” His eyes lit in eagerness. “That's fantastic. I've always wanted to see this. Donna -- we're going further back than I've ever been before.”

He looked back, and quieted. Donna had found the pilot seat, and was facing away from him. He thought he saw her nod slightly, but her shoulders were shuddering and she was absolutely quiet. A clear sign of shedding silent tears. Given how much she was shaking, he guessed that the tears were pouring down her cheeks.

Sighing quietly, he turned back. He doubted he could do anything for her until they arrived. He had seen people whose world had collapsed around them. Like Tommy Tomorrow once the Only Ones had gone, left with the knowledge that the aliens he summoned had killed his twin. The depths that desperation could send a person to.

He had seen in it his own people. He had barely averted it, and at great cost. Only a few of those whose lives were destroyed could be helped by him. He vowed that he would not let Donna sink to those depths.

It seemed too long before the TARDIS arrived at their destination, and he was reassured by the quiet clicks as the Old Girl settled down. He leaned around the console to catch Donna's attention. “Donna, we've arrived. Want to see?”

She shrugged, not looking up. “I s'pose,” she muttered.

The Doctor glanced at the monitor and frowned. “This is too small. Your way will be best.” He started towards the doors when he saw how consumed she was by grief and humiliation. So he stopped and walked right next to her. He knelt to catch her attention.

She looked up at him. “What does it matter?” she whispered.

He held out his hands. “Come on.”

Donna stood resignedly, accepting his hands as a lead.

“No Human has ever seen this,” he enthused. “You'll be the first.”

“All I want to see is my bed.”

Once they reached the doors, he let go of her. “Donna Noble, welcome to the creation of the Earth,” he announced softly as he opened the doors.

Donna's mouth fell open. Sunlight shone through beautiful colored dust and gas clouds. Rocks ranging from smallish to enormous floated around them.

The Doctor beamed at the sight, drinking it in. “We've gone back 4.6 billion years. There's no Sol system yet. Only dust, rocks and gas. That's the Sun over there, brand new. Just beginning to burn.”

“Where's the Earth?” Donna breathed, struggling to take it in.

“It's all around us, Donna. In the dust. Everything and everyone ever born on Earth exists because of this.”

She was silent for several seconds, but managed to speak. “Puts the wedding in perspective. Lance was right. We're just... tiny.”

He shook his head and took her hand to gently knock her out of the melancholy threatening to take over her soul. “No, he doesn't understand. That's what you do, the Human race. Making sense out of chaos. Marking it out with weddings, birthdays Christmas and calendars; all those patterns your species loves so much. This whole process is beautiful, but only if it's being observed.”

Donna felt her spirits lift a bit and she looked back out, marveling at the sight. “So, I came out of all this?”

“Isn't that marvelous?” he asked, just as a massive chunk of rock floated lazily into their sight. 

An urge to crack a joke hit Donna, and she had to let it out. “I think that's the Isle of Wight.”

He laughed with her. “Unless it's Uluru. What about Brighton? They always tell me to try some Brighton Rock, but I never had much of an affinity for boulders in my food,” he teased in mock seriousness. Once her bigger laugh quieted he explained what was to come. “Eventually, gravity takes hold. One big rock, heavier than the others, will start to pull other rocks towards it. All the dust, gas and elements get pulled in, everything, piling in until you get...”

“The Earth,” Donna finished for him.

His enthusiasm began to quiet as the hunt for answers began again. “But the question is... what was that first rock?”

As several long seconds passed without anything happening, the Doctor grew impatient. He rushed back to console and began turning a wheel.

“What are you doing?” Donna asked.

“Making time speed up around up around us, so we can see what they're doing. See the instant that the Racnoss ship got inside. What's happening out there?”

Donna watched as the rocks, particles of dust and gas zoomed towards one larger rock. It all gathered together, turning into something much bigger. “Exactly what you said, but there's no sign of a spaceship.”

He rushed over to see for himself, and sure enough he confirmed it. “But the ship had to have managed its way inside during the formation. How could we have missed it? The war was still going on now, and the Empress would have had to hide both herself and her ship before it went horribly wrong for them. It had to be now.”

Donna gasped. “Wait, wasn't the Earth hit by some Mars-sized planet?”

“How did you know that?”

“My granddad, he's utterly fascinated by the stars,” she explained. “He told me how the Moon's rocks are partly identical to Earth rocks and partly not, and how scientists came up with another planet smashing into Earth to explain it.”

The Doctor snapped his fingers. “Of course! I'll speed things up more!” he cried as he hurried back to the Controls. “Tell me when you see the impact!”

Donna watched as the Earth formed, looking lifeless and dark. “It's so weird. No water. No signs of continents. Nothing like what I'm used to, or imagined could be possible.”

The Doctor was trying to watch from his position, but he could barely take his eyes off the controls. Still, he could answer. “Which means the impact probably seeded the Earth with the fuel it needed to sustain life. I've known about the impact since before I first visited the Earth, but there is nothing like seeing it for yourself.”

“Wait, here it comes!” she cried.

The Doctor was at her side in an instant. They watched as Theia flew into sight and slammed into Earth at an angle. Rocks flew from both of them, but a few details became obvious as they saw the Moon form and the two planets fused into one. He voiced his observations.

“So the Earth's core came apart, and slowly absorbed Theia's. That explains why the Earth's core is twice the size it should be. The Racnoss ship definitely couldn't have survived. Which means...”

“Which means what?” she asked as she noticed him trailing off, his eyes going huge with some realization.

His feet flew him back again to the Controls. “We're going to reverse it and follow Theia. Let's find out how she came to be! Donna, you will be the first and likely only Human to know what truly happened!”

Donna smiled in a little daze, the thought that she would know something the leading astronomers could only dream of knowing humbling. She watched as the impact was reversed and the TARDIS began following Theia across space.

The Doctor eyed the Controls, talking the whole time. “Be watching for clues that the planet is beginning to break apart as the reverse journey slows. At least I assume that the TARDIS will be stopping. It's possible she won't. After all, Theia had to be set on a path toward crashing into the Earth. And how did the Racnoss hide from the war?”

At length even he could feel the TARDIS slowing down, letting time slow to closer to real time. “What's going on out there?”

“Theia's starting to break apart, and she's spinning,” Donna answered.

“Keep watching! We need to see if there's any clues for what we're looking for. Somehow the Racnoss hid themselves, and the Empress had to have a hiding place-”

“Look!” Donna exclaimed as she saw the hints of a star-shaped ship in the middle of everything.

The Doctor bounded over and stilled as he watched the reversing actions slowing toward real time. “The Racnoss,” he breathed, his eyes trying to imitate the roundels. “Oh. They didn't just bury something at the centre of Theia... they _became_ the centre of Theia. The first rock. Well, this would alter all of the hypotheses about the Earth's formation. One of the cores is actually a nest.”

The TARDIS suddenly shook violently, nearly knocking them off their feet.

“What was that?” Donna cried.

“Whatever it was, it didn't feel good,” he said, closing the doors and rushing back to the Controls.

Donna followed as best she could, but they both had to struggle to keep their balance against the shudders and tilting. “What the hell's it doing?!” Donna shouted as she held on to the Console, tightly.

“Remember that little trick I pulled -- particles pulling particles? Well, it works in reverse, and they're pulling us back!” He fought to manage the controls. “Even the Old Girl can't fight it.”

“Well, can't you stop it? Hasn't it got a handbrake? Can't you reverse or warp or beam or something?”

He winced. “Another backseat driver. Grace would have loved you... Grace. Wait, wait wait!” After a pause to think. he reached underneath the console and managed to draw out a large piece of rock with knobs on it. “The extrapolator! It can't stop us from landing there, but it should give us a good bump!” He placed it onto the Console. “Now we need a mallet!”

“Like this thing hiding under here?”

He looked up as Donna held up exactly what he wanted and he grinned. “So that's your talent – seeing the key details that those like me might miss.”

“Prawn,” she said as she handed it over, a little chuffed over the praise.

The TARDIS materialized back in the chamber, and as soon as she indicated that it had happened, the Doctor whacked the extrapolator. They felt the TARDIS jolt, and then stop just as suddenly.

He checked the scanner. “We're about 200 yards to the right. Come on!” He led her outside at a run.

Soon they arrived back at the doorway leading up to the Thames Flood Barrier.

Donna was out of breath from the whole day and stopped a bit behind him. “But what do we do?”

He scanned with the sonic, listening to everything it was telling him. “I'm thinking. I make it up as I go along! But trust me, I've got a history.”

“But I still don't understand. I'm full of particles -- but what for?”

He kept scanning for a path toward stopping the Empress. “There's a Racnoss web at the centre of the Earth, but my people unravelled their power source. The Huon particles ceased to exist and so the Racnoss are stuck. They've been in hibernation for billions of years. So you're the new key. Brand new particles, living particles! They need you to open it – and you have never been so quiet.”

He looked behind him and Donna wasn't there.

“No! When did you lot become so quiet?”

He looked up and down the empty corridor. He had to rush to save her and stop the Racnoss. “If there's one of you who could move that quietly, then I suspect there's another nearby.” He opened the door with his sonic screwdriver, and was confronted with an armed robot. The Doctor's eyes glazed over.

“Ah. There you are.”


	7. Chapter Seven: Alien and Human Natures

But his sonic was ready. Within a second, the robot lowered its weapon, sagging as it turned off. Satisfied ever so slightly, he used the sonic to probe the robot's memory. What he found made his eyes widen and gave him chills. “Well, if you're going to activate the particles, then there's no point in subtlety.”

But it did give him the plans for the chamber. And that told him the fastest way in. He would take a page out of Lance's book, and take a side route to another stairway.

So he ran, as quietly as he could given the urgency. He had to maneuver through narrow paths and blocked ones.

“Never thought I'd be glad to be a smallish man in this body,” he muttered as he slipped easily through something a taller or bigger him would've had trouble with. He could afford no delays. But he winced as his back twinged. “Need a healing sleep after all of this. Didn't realise she slammed into me that hard.”

Eventually he could hear voices from inside the chamber.

“The secret heart unlocks,” he heard the Empress say. “And they will waken from their sleep of Ages.”

He stumbled as he nearly stilled. Was he too late?

“Who will? What's down there?”

The Doctor was so relieved to hear Donna's voice that he barely heard Lance's scornful answer.

“How thick are you?!”

“My children, the long lost Racnoss. Now will be born to feast on flesh!” the Empress declared in delight.

His ears could just make out the chirping of the young Racnoss and the patters of their feet coming up the hole. He pushed himself harder, risking being overheard.

“The web-star shall come to me.”

The Empress' words were ominous, but the Doctor took some comfort in that she was preparing for something. And while he knew it would lead to killing Humans, it meant that he had a little more time than he thought.

“My babies will be hungry. They need sustenance. Perish the web.”

Or not. He pushed himself to his fastest running speed.

“Use her! Not me! Use her!”

“Oh, my funny little Lance! But you are quite impolite to your lady-friend. The Empress does not approve.”

The next thing the Doctor heard was the sounds of the web breaking, and then Lance screaming.

“Laaaaaance!” Donna screamed.

The only comfort the Doctor took was that she sounded like she was in one place the whole time. He reached the stairway and managed to climb rapidly without being detected. Although the screaming probably helped him.

“Harvest the humans! Reduce them to meat,” the Empress ordered.

He got to a point above the chamber, and drew out the sonic, making quick calculations in his head for how to make his plan work. Not surprisingly the Empress spotted him when Donna, startled by his sudden appearance, squawked, “Oh!”

“I've got you, Donna!” He aimed the sonic up at her and the web loosened.

Donna freaked out. “I'm gonna fall!”

“No, you'll swing!”

Her hands found one string as the rest fell away from her. She screamed as she swung over the hole, towards the Doctor.

He kept adjusting to make it the best angle before he stopped to hold his arms out. “I've got you! Lift your legs so you can reach me!”

Donna continued screaming, but did what he said. But almost too late. Her legs just barely missed the railings, but the web snapped as the Doctor caught her. Her momentum forced him to drop to his haunches and then gently fall rump to back. Rough, but it was gentler than the hard hit she could have had.

He grunted, but he helped her up. “I will welcome a healing sleep after this,” he muttered. “Sorry, but I did say to lift your legs.”

Donna groaned as her feet touched the ground. “Ooh, I'll be feeling that later. But how could you catch me so easily? You're not a big man!”

“I'm stronger than I look. A trait of my people. I can heal those bruises. And you're not as heavy as you think you are.”

“The doctor-man amuses me,” the Empress said, although she was clearly a little annoyed that one of her meals had escaped. Though the look on her face suggested she thought it was temporary.

The Doctor turned to face his enemy, his tone commanding. “Empress of the Racnoss – I'm going to give you one chance to stop this. I can find you a planet, a place in the universe to coexist, but where you can do no harm. Take that offer and end this now.”

“These men are so funny,” she said to Donna.

“I don't think he meant to be,” she replied.

“What's your answer?” he demanded.

The Empress laughed. “Oh -- I'm afraid I have to decline.”

He straightened and steeled himself. “Then what happens next is your own doing.”

“I'll show you what happens next,” the Empress hissed at him. “At arms!” she commanded her robots.

The robots raised their guns at the Doctor.

Donna started breathing faster. “Doctor!”

“Wait, wait, wait,” he said, unperturbed.

“Take aim! And-”

“Relax.”

All the robots went limp at his quiet, firm command.

Stunned, Donna turned to catch his attention. “What did you do?”

He smirked as he removed the remote from a pocket on the side opposite Donna. “I figured out how to use this to control them.”

She drew back. “How did that fit in there?”

“Like the TARDIS, my pockets are bigger on the inside.”

Although incensed, the Empress was undaunted. “Robo-forms are not necessary. My children may feast on Martian flesh.”

The smirk disappeared as the Doctor allowed the Storm he kept under tight lock slip close to the surface. “Oh, but I'm not from Mars. I just didn't correct you because I wasn't ready to tell you my real planet of origin.”

At last she showed a flicker of doubt. “Then where?”

Donna was interested in the answer. He hadn't exactly been completely forthcoming with that, but even she knew that she hadn't been willing to listen. Now she was.

The Doctor was stern, fixing her with a glare so cold it might have given some Humans ice in their veins. “My home planet is far away and could have been lost. But its name would live on regardless. Gallifrey.”

The Empress roared with rage, not noticing how she made Donna draw herself behind the Doctor for safety. “They murdered the Racnoss!”

“I gave you a chance, and now you shall reap what you sowed,” he replied, even colder than before as his free hand produced a handful of baubles from his pocket.

Donna was stunned. When had he had the time to pocket so many?

But the Empress' sudden panic kept all other voices silent. “No! No! Don't! No!”

The Doctor threw several handfuls of the baubles into the air, and none fell back to the ground as the Empress protested. Once all were in the air he put both hands on the remote and guided some to surround the Empress. Other he sent flying out of sight.

“What are you doing?”

The sudden sound of torrents of water rushing into the chamber, followed by currents with a strong smell answered Donna's question. Then the baubles around the Empress began to explode, one by one, as the water rushed down the hole.

The Empress wailed incoherently as the water swirled down like a plug. The flames kept her from being able to attempt to cover it with her own body. “My children! No! My children! My children!”

Donna's attention was gripped by the sight of the grief-stricken mother, who no longer seemed a cold villain. She looked at the Doctor, who stared in silence as he lowered the remote. “Doctor! You can stop now!”

Suddenly he tossed the remote aside. “Time I got you out!” he grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs, both of them soaking wet.

“Transport me!” they heard as they rushed to the ladder he found thanks to the pilfered plans from the robot.

“You go up first!” he cried, pausing only to aim his sonic in the direction of the TARDIS for a prolonged burst.

Donna needed no prompting. But their progress was far slower at first than either liked. There was water rushing into the ladder's chamber, only stopping further up. “But what about the Empress?” she cried as they climbed.

“She's used up all her Huon energy. She's defenceless against anything this planet could throw at her! If your military know she's here, that is. Knowing them, they probably do.”

As they reached the top of the ladder and clambered out into the night, they noticed an explosion in the sky above. Flames were consuming something in the air, disintegrating into seemingly nothing. They cheered and whooped in relief knowing what must have happened, hugging impulsively.

But Donna caught her breath first and drew back slightly. “Just... there's one problem.”

“What's that?”

“We've drained the Thames,” she rasped.

He turned his head to look, and she looked with him. Remarkably, the Thames was completely empty of water. Boats were marooned, tilted on their side as they blasted their horns to call for help. The smell of the bottom was rank, exposed by the lack of cover.

The Doctor and Donna shared another look, and inexplicably collapsed into laughter again. Neither of them could explain it, but the sight was patently ridiculous.

“What do they expect to accomplish by tooting their horns?” the Doctor choked out through his laughter. “They have radios. Where does rational thinking go in such a situation?”

At length Donna's laughter quieted as she took in their surroundings and caught stronger whiffs of the smell. “How are we going to get down from here?”

He grinned, aiming for reassuring her. “The TARDIS is already pumping the water back up to the surface. That was why I paused at the ladder, to send the command. Any bodies will be stuck in the chamber, but that will keep the panic from spreading.”

“How many died?”

He sighed. “I don't know. Far too many, and despite what Lance said we don't know if they tried to target anyone else. My old friends at UNIT will be stuck cleaning up this mess, and I don't envy them. I suspect I'll one day be asked about it.”

“UNIT?”

“A rare example of an Earth-based group that considers me an ally. I'd tell you more, but I might be obligated to kidnap you to keep the secrets.”

“Then keep them to yourself. No need to waste words on me. But will I get Thames Belly from this?”

He paused to draw out the medical probe. She didn't react as he scanned her. “No sign yet, but I'll check us both once we're inside the TARDIS.”

“How long will we have to wait to reach her? There isn't a way to call her to us, is there?”

The Doctor got a sheepish expression. “Well, if I could I'd still need her for a while to pump the water. But I think she should get enough of it done within an hour, maybe two at most. If you look carefully, you can already see the water coming back.”

Donna had to lean to see, but even in the gloom of night it was obvious that the bottom was not as visible as before. A very good sign. “Never takes as long to fill something as it does to drain, does it?”

“Destruction is always the easy route. Building, producing new things – that will always be the harder path but also the more rewarding.”

She sighed. “Will the TARDIS be all right?”

“Of course! She can survive anything.”

“More than I've done,” she said quietly.

“Donna, I checked. All the Huon particles have gone. There's no damage, so you'll be fine.”

“Yeah, but apart from that... I missed my wedding, lost my job and became a widow on the same day. Sort of,” she added as she broke away to have a little breather.

The Doctor sighed. “I couldn't get there in time to save him.”

“He deserved it,” she suddenly said, nodding firmly.

The Doctor waited for her to look his way again. This didn't sound like the real her talking, but her anger at the betrayal was understandable.

Donna finally did and the look on his face, a hint of disappointment, softened her feelings. “No, he didn't,” she whispered, rubbing her arms.

“Are you cold?”

“It's quite chilly out here with the breeze, and I'm soaked through with cold water. Not much space up here for moving around to keep warm.”

He looked at the growing shivers and could hear her teeth chattering against her control. He stepped up and held out his arms. “Can't let you freeze. My jacket might be too wet to help, but I can help.”

Freezing to death after surviving all she had was not appealing, so she went into his arms. She burrowed her arms inside his jacket as he helped her sit down.

“Here. The less of us exposed to the elements, the warmer we'll stay.”

“Are you sure you're all right? You don't feel all that warm. Is that normal?”

“Oh, it's normal,” he reassured her as he tried to cover as much of her as he could, trying to use his arms to generate more heat to warm her back. “I run a cooler temperature than Humans do, and yet I can handle extremes. Once we're back inside I can treat you for hypothermia if need be. So... what will you do with yourself once I get you home?”

She thought for a few seconds. “Not getting married for starters. And I'm not gonna temp anymore. I dunno... travel... see a bit more of planet Earth... walk in the dust. Just... go out there and do something.”

“What kind of travel? What would you do if someone offered you the chance to see the universe?”

“What, are you offering?”

“More asking. I have been used to travelling alone lately.”

She smiled, and managed to look up at him. “No.”

He blinked. “Really?”

She shook her head. “Really... everything we did today... do you live your life like that?”

“I don't aim for it.”

“But it happens anyway,” she guessed, sounding very wise. “And I couldn't.”

“But you've seen it out there. Isn't it beautiful?”

“And it's terrible. That place was flooding and burning and they were dying and you were stood there like... I don't know... a stranger. I mean, you scare me to death!”

“Oh...” He was struck by the reminder of something Lucie had once said. What was it, that she was sometimes not sure whether she was more scared of the monsters or of him? What did he seem like to outsiders? Why had he never really stopped to think about that or ask his assistants and companions?

She tried to focus on his scent as a distraction, trying to define what seemed hard to define. He wasn't as warm as a Human, but it was a huge improvement on how cold she felt. “Tell me stories. Those adventures you hinted at earlier, give me the real details. I need to think about something other than the cold.”

He smiled. “Oh, where to begin? A story about an enemy? Some great feature of the universe?”

“Tell me about your friend, the one called Lucie. Especially why you thought we might be related. Was she the one you said your people imposed on you?”

He had to chuckle. “Should have known. Well, I was minding my own business, keeping the Old Girl running smoothly when someone briefly tore a rift into her and left this nineteen year-old Human girl. And she wasn't inclined to tell me much, not that it was her fault – although I didn't know that at first...”

/=/=/=/=/

They finally arrived back in Chiswick. Her hair was still sort of damp, but she no longer smelled like the Thames and she felt more like herself. Not only had he ensured she wouldn't get Thames Belly, she had had access to cleaning methods so she could get the smell off her while she warmed up. And he had only left her alone once sure she was out of any danger before he went elsewhere to clean himself off.

“Thanks,” she said as she stepped out, instantly able to see from their position through a window where her parents were talking and then hugging. “I'd better get inside. They'll be worried.”

“Best Christmas present they could have,” the Doctor remarked as he followed her. When she turned and narrowed her eyes he paused. “Oh, I forgot -- you hate Christmas.”

Her eyes and tone hardened. “Yes, I do.”

“Oh, that will never do,” he remarked as he reached for a spot on the TARDIS just out of sight. “What if it snows?”

Donna watched a ball of light shoot out of the top and explodes like a firework in the sky. The lights fell down, but not as ashes. What fell softly around her was snow. She laughed with delight, holding up her hands as being a child came to mind. “I can't believe you did that!”

He grinned, almost shrugging. “Oh, basic atmospheric excitation. Doesn't make it any less marvelous, does it?”

She had to smile back. “Merry Christmas.”

“And you.” He drew away from the TARDIS, stepping a bit closer now that his thoughts were in order. “Now, about those plans of yours-”

“Doctor-”

“How are you going to make them happen? Got the money for it? How do you know that you won't find yourself stuck in the same old habits?”

“Thanks.”

“No, I still mean no insult. I'm asking you to think about a few things. Everyone around you, how many of them will support you in changing? Do you think any might hinder your efforts to be as magnificent as I think you can be? As magnificent as you want to be? Lance's cruel remarks wouldn't have hurt so much if they hadn't hit something deep within. You're not the thick person you pretend to be, so why the charade?”

Donna went silent for several long seconds, feeling the weight of his questions. She looked like she wanted to snap at his presumption, but he was looking in earnest. So he had earned some earnestness from her in return.

“All my life, the things I wanted to do I was told weren't appropriate. 'No need for female chippies, so don't go learning woodworking. Why are you learning all those languages you won't need? The library isn't a good job, no matter how good you are at it. Get a permanent job', I keep being told. Even though sometimes it paid better. Add in being teased ever since I was little for my hair, and no one wants me. For anything I want.”

His face fluttered from soft to hardened, back and forth through the whole story. “Let me guess; your mother is one of the people who said all that to you. Do you have anyone who likes you as you are?”

She glared briefly, but answered honestly. “My dad and granddad. Maybe my friend Alice. She warned me that I wouldn't end up married to Lance. Should have known she'd be right.”

“Why?”

“You'll think it's mad.”

“You say that after today's events?”

She rubbed her hands awkwardly in front of her. “Point taken. Okay, she's often... well, guessed events correctly. When she couldn't know. She said that today would turn out well, but not as I planned it. And not without pain. She was more than right about that. Not looking forward to facing her after this, and having to admit it.”

He nodded and stepped next to her. “So why not take a chance? Yes, there's danger and I can't promise to avoid it. But there's also opportunity for you, Donna Noble. Why not seize the chance to live to your own tune?” he asked as he took her hands and led her into an impromptu dance.

“Doctor!” she squeaked, giggling despite herself.

“No letting anyone's expectation rule you except your own, learning about whatever you want, and seeing who you can become!”

She laughed as she was twirled and led around gently, feeling like it was her choice to follow. “What? And someday I'll actually dance with a man who'll dip me?”

“I heard that the man is tasked with making certain his dancing partner looks good,” he casually remarked. “But...”

Donna squawked as she was drawn right next to him and her arms instinctively went around his shoulders as she found herself being dipped. For a non-romantic moment it certainly beat a lot of romantic ones she'd had!

He lifted her back up, grinning at her shock. “Well?”

Once upright again she stepped back enough to swat his arm. “You daft prawn!” she laughed, trying to cover her nerves.

“And what are you doing with him, lady?!”

They both stilled and looked at Donna's parents' home, where her mother stood in the open doorway. Neither had heard it open. Her arms were folded and her eyes shooting daggers. Behind her stood Donna's stunned father, who was saying things they couldn't make out but were clearly aimed to keep her mother from exploding.

“Yeah, she must be wondering what I'm doing with you when I love Lance, and where he is.” Donna thought quickly. “Tell you what I will do, though. If you can help me convince them that this wasn't my fault and convince my mother to invite you to Christmas dinner, I'll change my mind and say yes.”

He grimaced, but the look aimed at both of them set something inside him on edge. “I don't usually do that sort of thing, but I can't leave you to her mercy. She has to be convinced of the truth. Especially if she of all people failed to notice the bio-damper. Come on, Donna. Into the lion's den.”

Despite the situation, Donna found it in her to snort as they walked towards the house. “Well, you might as well because Mum always cooks enough for twenty. And if you can persuade her then you're definitely a friend I want in my life. Otherwise I'd wonder if I'm ever gonna see you again.”

“If I'm lucky,” he replied, quietly. “But I'm willing to test my skills.”

“Just promise me one thing in case we don't succeed: find someone.”

“You think I need someone?”

“Yes. To stop you from going too far.”

He rather thought he'd found that someone and, aware that they were being watched, tried to convey it with a silent look. He wasn't surprised that it seemed to not register.

And so it was time to see what he could talk a recalcitrant person into.


	8. Chapter Eight: Fanning the Oncoming Storm

Donna's mother waited until they were within speaking distance before she began her harsh words. “And what time is this?”

“How old am I?” Donna snapped, reflexively.

“Not old enough to use a phone. And what's he doing here?”

The Doctor did not allow Donna a chance to answer. “Your daughter was abducted, her fiancée isn't with her, and all you can focus on is what time she gets home and who got her there safely? Not to mention forgetting that she doesn't have pockets? Where are your priorities?”

He was not going to let on that he felt vindicated by that comment. Not when the mother of the bride ought to know the details of her daughter's dress.

“Sylvia,” Donna's father stressed, hands on her arms. “Let's let them both come in before we give the neighbours more to talk about.”

Sylvia shot a glare at her husband, although it was nowhere near the intensity she sent at her daughter or the Doctor. “Geoffrey, that man-”

“Saved all your lives,” the Doctor interrupted. “And just saved Donna from the fate Lance had in mind for her.”

Scoffing, Sylvia stepped back into the house without giving an invitation.

The Doctor took a deep breath and silently motioned for Donna to precede him. He relaxed a little when Donna and her father hugged tightly, with the man gently tugging her inside.

“Donna, love, thank God you're safe. What happened?”

She clutched him, and sniffed. “That's why the Doctor is here, to help me explain.”

The Doctor closed the door behind him, listening out for Sylvia Noble coming back into the room. Given the sounds coming from where he suspected was the kitchen, he figured he had maybe a minute or two to prepare for her. For now he would see what he could learn about why Donna was the way she was through watching her and her father.

Geoffrey Noble was smiling as he let his daughter out of the hug. “This wasn't how I imagined your day going. I wanted it to be the special day you dreamed of.”

Donna's eyes watered. “Turns out there was no chance it would've been a dream,” she whispered.

“What do you mean, love?”

“Did Mum even worry about me?” she asked, weak and quiet.

“Oh, Donna,” he soothed as he kept a gentle hold of her arms. “She was terrified for your safety, worried that you were dead. I told her to not say that.”

“Then why did she let the reception happen without me?”

“Weddings aren't cheap, Lady,” Sylvia snapped as she walked back into the room, drying a dish with a towel. “And now you've run Lance off, have you-?”

“That's enough, Mrs. Noble.”

Sylvia just turned a scornful look at the Doctor over his cold tone, ignoring the dark look in his eyes and the thin line his lips had become. “Who are you to tell me what I can and can't say-?”

“I told you at the reception. I'm the Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

“And I'm here to tell you that Lance betrayed your daughter, not the other way around. I can't see how you could even think that Donna did anything wrong or caused the events of today. Your daughter was the target of a nefarious plot to destroy the whole planet.”

“She's done party pieces before-”

He had no patience for her words. Especially since he could see Donna wincing with each one, or perhaps just over the tone. “How can any parent make her own child think so poorly of herself that she thinks she has to accept being treated as if she deserves nothing good in world? And were those 'party pieces' more an attempt to get your attention and maybe some praise for showing creative thinking? Because the woman I observed today saw so many minor details that I nearly missed, so she's not the stupid woman that Lance called her today.”

“Lance said that?!” Geoffrey demanded. “When?”

“When he revealed that he had been poisoning her with a substance not of your planet's origin. A substance he and the people he worked for were convinced to make, and Donna became their chosen victim. All as a key to unleash something hidden below the planet's surface. I will not repeat what he said because it does not bear repeating. He tore her apart and she just took it. I can't imagine any woman as brash and intelligent as Donna is accepting that unless it was something she was used to hearing. I just watched her with you, Mr. Noble. Clearly she never heard a harsh word from you in her life unless you were telling her 'no' with good reason. So I can only assume that she heard it all from your wife. She mentioned that she was teased at school about her hair, although it seems that nothing any of her erstwhile suitors or colleagues or so-called friends have said compares to the pain her own mother caused. But why would any father who loves his child permit it to go on for even the slightest bit of time, let alone after the child is an adult?!”

Donna stared in shock, mouth slackened and her body still. No one had ever stood up to her mother before. Even her father and granddad had not challenged her views so much. Either the Doctor was foolhardy or supremely brave. Or both. Or he had no idea what her mother was like in a foul mood.

Geoffrey paled. He was not unaware of his failings as a father, but hearing them put in such blunt terms left him speechless.

Sylvia wasn't affected. Unless you counted looking even more cross and like lightening bolts would shoot from her eyes. “How dare you insult my husband!” She let her own hand loose.

Only the Doctor was ready. Dealing with her daughter had given him a warning, and his reflexes caught her by the wrist. “Your daughter already got me twice today. One of them I definitely deserved, the other I probably earned. But you have no right to attack me when you've been attacking your daughter since she was little.”

Sylvia let her other hand loose, but he caught that one as well. “Let go of me, you wedding-ruiner!”

“Am I? Or are you?”

“It's either you or Donna who's responsible-”

“Lance was responsible for ruining everything, Mrs. Noble. He never intended to be with Donna. He only agreed because he didn't want her running off before his plans could come to fruition. And you are going to listen for once in your life and open your eyes to what you've done.”

“What I've done?!” Sylvia shouted. “It's what Donna's done, wasting her time temping! Goes from one job to the next, never sticking around long enough that anyone would want her more more than practice. Always wanting to do things that won't get her far-”

“What happened to you?” the Doctor growled, his voice quiet but so sharp it could cut glass without breaking it. “Did you have dreams that were denied you because of the era you grew up in?”

Sylvia stilled, blinking. “Why, I-”

He knew he had his in, and pressed it immediately. “Despite the advances women were making on your world there were some things still closed off to you. So you accepted something that was considered okay for women to do, did it to what you considered perfection and accepted nothing out of the ordinary. And whenever your daughter showed signs of wanting to do things that were perhaps available to her, what did you do? Did you encourage her? Or did you put her down? You couldn't stand for her to have the opportunities that you missed, could you?”

“They weren't necessarily there for her, either,” she insisted, drawing back and freeing herself. “Why should she suffer when failure was high? She's so far behind where I was at her age that she's considered a failure in my circles.”

“Sometimes you need to try because you never know, but you didn't let her have the chance to fail!” he snapped, stepping forward and making her back away closer to the wall. “You discouraged her from everything she was good at, not even stopping to think that there might be some useful need for it. You tore her down until she barely has any trust in herself and her abilities. Is it any wonder she's had so much trouble and pain? She would've seen that Lance wasn't that interested in her if you hadn't convinced her that she's not special, if you and everyone around her encouraged standing up for herself. When she was sent home from school, did you even stop and consider that whatever she said happened was the truth? Or did you teach her to not make any waves, to accept any injustice that happened to her because that was what you thought you had to do? Anyone would think you cared nothing for your daughter, that you don't think she's important.”

Donna watched her mother's face. She saw her eyes watering in the face of the Doctor's icy words, and couldn't believe her mother was stepping back even a little against his accusations.

The last words brought a little edge to Sylvia's voice. “She is important! She's my daughter!”

Donna sucked in a breath.

He could not explain it, but that inflamed his fury even more. He could feel the crackling that signaled the Storm he kept locked away was ready to emerge, and he almost welcomed it. “Then why is that a surprise to her? Why couldn't you tell her that instead of dragging her down? If you hadn't, you wouldn't have spent all that money that you considered more important than her. And that would be because she wouldn't have felt so pressured to accept the first man who treated her at all well, or even do what no woman should and nag. Your daughter could already have done amazing things if you hadn't kept her down!”

Sylvia gasped as she tripped into a chair, eyes going huge over the energy she could not begin to explain.

“Doctor!” Donna cried, rushing right between them and putting her hands on his chest, fighting to not cringe against the energy she felt.

The touch of her hands startled him, and the energy slipped back under tight control. He took a few breaths and looked at Donna, softening his gaze. “Why are you defending the woman who has done nothing to help you?”

“She showed me how to not let my detractors bring me down, to hide what they made me feel, and taught me skills that have made me excellent at what I do. And she's my mother. I wouldn't be who I am without her. And my dad and granddad, two men I trust and love, love her.”

The defense got him to calm, but he spared one final glare at Sylvia Noble. “Your daughter is a better woman than you are. She had compassion even for the creature who wanted her to become food for her children. When I had to stop them from emerging Donna felt pity for their mother's grief, even though she could have stopped it by accepting my offer of finding them another world to live on. You do not deserve a tiny fraction of her loyalty or affection. If I were the type to kidnap people I would take Donna away from this toxic atmosphere and never let her return, because it would serve you right to never see her again.”

Sylvia was silently crying, in that instant looking very much like her daughter had a few hours earlier for them. She looked stricken, lost, and like she could barely hold herself upright.

Geoffrey went to her side and held her hands. “Doctor, the women in her family, they don't readily accept when they're wrong. They have strong opinions and aren't afraid to speak their minds. When you have two such women in a family, they will clash. I saw it with her mother. It's a friction that makes it difficult for the rest of the family. Believe me when I say I did what I could, and tried to convince Sylvia that sometimes you do need to rock the boat. Especially so those who come after you will have better lives. The influence of what others expect reigns heavily over us, and I don't know why you don't understand that.”

His eyes softened a little. “Oh, but I do. My people have even stronger opinions about what each person in society is supposed to do and when. I simply don't understand why anyone who has the freedom that you Humans have would attempt to impose their will on the rest of the world.”

“What do you mean, 'you Humans'?” Geoffrey asked.

It was the opening he was looking for. He checked with a quiet glance at Donna, and when she nodded he began the tale.

“I'm not of your world. I look like I am, but my people are from another planet far away from here. We're an ancient race, living terribly long lives and often losing track of the things your kind consider important. Around the time your planet was forming there was a huge conflict known as the First Great Time War, pitting the ancient races against each other. My people fought many kinds, including a race of giant spiders known as the Racnoss. We thought we had unravelled their power source, but their leader, the Empress, figured out a way to hide some of her kind. She left a web-star full of hatchlings inside a Mars-sized planet that smashed into the primordial Earth. As the two planets coalesced into one the ship slid into the core of the planet, in hiding and waiting to be discovered. Then an organisation call Torchwood, who seeks to seize aliens and their technology for Earth's benefit without any regard for decency or civilised law, drilled down. It alerted the Empress, who got Lance to help her recreate their power source. But they needed a living host to make it work as the key to unlock the ship, and so Lance – one of the few survivors of the Canary Wharf incident – began poisoning the staff of H C Clements. Some fell ill and left the company. But he singled out Donna as someone who could be manipulated and who was managing to have a catalysis rate that would allow her to be the key. Everyone else was captured and used as food for the Empress. Donna is the only survivor left of H C Clements, and she had no idea until today when Lance revealed he despised her.”

“You say he tore into her?” Sylvia said through her tears, her fire returning with a faint flicker. “Where is he? Let me at him.”

“Too late. He had no idea that the being who he thought would take him into the universe was not above using him as food for her children. In the end I had no choice but to use the Thames to drown them to save the rest of the planet. Donna and I barely got out alive, and the military shot down the Empress' ship. She's out of a job and not quite a widow, but has made a lucky escape. Now she's left to pick up the pieces. She needs you both to support her, to believe her. So I ask you, do you believe me when I say that there was no chance she could have disappeared on her own or put her life on the line?”

Sylvia saw Donna's own watery gaze, strengthened by her interfering with the Doctor's tirade, and lowered her eyes. “I'm sorry, Donna,” she choked. “I thought I could protect you from what I went through. I wanted to do far more than I did, and found the doors firmly shut to me.”

“Maybe the problem is that on a key level you're very alike,” Geoffrey suggested.

The Doctor's lips tightened. He could not see much similarity beyond a tendency to jump to conclusions and being brash when frightened. But he had only known Donna for several hours and her mother for less than thirty minutes. So he could accept that he had little information to go on.

But he did not believe his eyes when Donna and Sylvia silently moved to embrace, and clutched each other. He could see Sylvia's face from his angle, and he was positive that he saw her whispering an apology over and over again.

He had done it. He had changed the woman's mind. So whatever else happened tonight he had done good by Donna Noble. She needed it, and better late than never.

Geoffrey came over and stood by him. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Sylvia's been tense. Her mum died last Christmas and her dad's ill. He had to miss the wedding.”

“Did no one suspect that Lance was using Donna?” the Doctor asked, equally quiet.

“Sylvia... in one of her moods... thought he was too good for Donna, that someone like him would be unlikely to choose her. I never wanted to think ill of him, but I wondered sometimes if there was something I wasn't told. Wilfred, my father-in-law, had some inklings, I think. But she seemed so happy that we...”

“Wanted to believe that he was the real thing, that he would take care of her,” the Doctor finished for him. “No, I understand.”

“How? You have a family?”

“Yes. Might be best if I save the explanation for when they're both listening.”

Sylvia and Donna broke apart slowly, sniffling and each wiping their eyes. “I wanted to be more, but I had no idea what trying to fit in with my friends made me like to men,” the latter said, choking on the words.

“Well, don't. Go and seek what you could be. Better late than to never attempt.”

Then Sylvia looked at the Doctor. She took a few breaths and put herself back together mentally. “Thank you for getting her home, Doctor, and for saving her life. We can never repay you, but if you can handle Human food then you're welcome to Christmas dinner. Donna and Lance were supposed to have it with us before they left for Morocco, but you can join us instead.”

The Doctor, although still tense from dealing with Sylvia, found a smile. But not over the invitation. Instead it was over Donna's shocked look. “Thank you, Mrs. Noble. The day has been long and a good meal would be delightful.”

“Good. Donna, do go and change. Let's start putting this day behind us all, and figure out how we'll recover from the cost.”

“Maybe she can seek compensation,” Geoffrey suggested. “With that level of devastation it's worth checking into.”

“I'll find out,” Donna promised.

“Doctor, I'm putting the kettle on. Do you drink tea?” Geoffrey asked.

He found a real smile. “Tea will be excellent, thank you.”

The couple walked into the kitchen, quietly talking between themselves. But their body language said that they were still convinced.

Donna looked at the Doctor with huge eyes. “I can't believe you did that, convince my mum. What was that you did in the end there? It was like static electricity, but something far bigger!” she asked quietly.

The Doctor cleared his throat, and kept his voice equally low. “I-I'm often called the Oncoming S-Storm. It's something I have to keep a tight hold of, because if I get angry enough to let it out a lot of damage happens.”

She shuddered. “Oh my God, you really do need someone to stop you.”

“So... have you changed your mind?”

“I suppose I'd better. You might've died down there without me. And I'll miss out on a huge chance to make a difference if I keep my answer the same.”

“Then, Donna Noble, I think this will be start of a fantastic friendship.”

She laughed lightly. “Daft prawn. You do realise you're stuck here until the day after tomorrow? Because I won't leave before then. No one will detect the TARDIS, will they?”

“No, I have the Old Girl keeping a lookout for scans. But it would be best if I bring her closer, keep her from accidentally catching attention. And your parents not noticing the bio-damper confirms that it's also a perception filter. Otherwise I can't believe that anyone would be that unaware when a woman shows to what was supposed to be her reception wearing a ring from a man not her groom, and with said man in tow.”

“You'd better be right back, or I won't change my mind. And I'll slap you a new one.”

“I think I'll be happy to never be slapped ever again, so that won't happen.”

“I'll see it when it happens.”

“You have a back garden?”

“A small one.”

“Big enough for the TARDIS to land in?”

“More than. Why?”

“Because I'll be coming back in through the back. Give me a minute.”

So she followed him to the door, and watched carefully. He quickly entered the TARDIS and the ship vanished. She waited.

Seconds later she could hear the engines again, but the ship was nowhere to be seen. Donna closed the door and rushed to the back door. On opening that she found the Doctor closing the TARDIS doors and walking toward her with a big smile.

“Told you I could land her properly,” he said as he reached her side.

“How often will that happen?” she asked after he was back inside.

“Are you going to be a back seat driver?”

“No, I think I'm going to be learning to co-pilot your Old Girl.”

“Wait, wait, wait...!” He paused, trying to determine if he had heard correctly and then frowned at her. “What?”

She giggled. “The look on your face! We'll talk about this later. Now go and make yourself useful. Time to have a Happy Christmas for a change, unlike last Christmas for you, it sounds like,” she added as she hurried off to change.

He watched until she was out of sight upstairs. He heard the kettle venting, and sighed. “Maybe it will be the first of many happy Christmas',” he thought aloud.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned... More is coming soon... :D


End file.
